It is a repeat of last year’s Netball Uganda National Rally final as defending champions St. Noa Girls’ Secondary School – Zana lock horns with Buddo Secondary School this evening at Kaddugala Secondary School in Masaka.
To reach this year’s final, St. Noa labored to a hard-fought 20–18 victory over Hamdan Islamic Secondary School in an emphatic semi-final duel.
This marked only the second meeting between the two sides, with Hamdan having won their previous encounter in the third-place classification match at the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) championship in Tororo.
In the day’s other high-profile semi-final, Buddo Secondary School continued their dominance over St. Mary’s Boarding Secondary School – Kitende with a gritty 16–13 win.
The two powerhouses have now met five times in less than a year, with Buddo claiming three victories — in last year’s USSSA National final in Tororo, the USSSA Elite Championship earlier this March at Janan School in Bombo, and now this National Rally semi-final.
Kitende, however, has had its share of success in the rivalry, winning the FEASSA final in Kakamega, Kenya, in August last year, as well as this year’s National Novice final held at Lubiri Secondary School in early March.
On their path to the final, St. Noa edged Kaddugala A 13–11 in the quarter-finals, while Buddo overcame a stubborn Kawanda Secondary School side in a dramatic encounter that went into extra time.
The match ended 22–20 in Buddo’s favor, after normal time had finished 13–13 and the first half of extra time tied at 16–16.
Full Semi-final Results:
St. Noa 20–18 Hamdan Islamic
St. Mary’s – Kitende 13–16 Buddo
Quarter-final Results:
Buddo SS 22–20 Kawanda SS (after extra time)
St. Noa 13–11 Kaddugala A
Kitende 15–13 St. Mary’s
Hamdan 19–9 Kasasa
