By Timothy Okurut
Uganda Christian University(UCU) has beaten Ndejje University in the Badminton Ladies category, further solidifying their position to defend their gold at the Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) games. UCU was represented by Kruthum Nalumansi and Fridah Mbuya, who competed in two individual games that kept them drawn before having to compete in a double-decisive game.
Nalumansi lost the first game after failing to win a second set, having won the opening set with a comfortable 21-11 margin. She lost the second and third sets 18-21 and 14-21, respectively. Mbuya came in to compete in the second game and beat her opponent in both sets, convincingly winning 21-9 and 21-15 forcing the draw into a third decisive game.
The two ladies teamed up to beat Ndejje’s ladies 21-14 and 21-10, concluding the draw as 2-1 winners. Sarah Mirembe, the UCU captain, says that “this win is a defining moment against a tough opponent in Ndejje University and I am convinced that the ladies will defeat Makerere University Business School (MUBS) tomorrow as we play in our final fixture,” said Mirembe.
The team won gold for the ladies, gentlemen and mixed categories at the Federation of African University Sports (FASU) games this year, and they won gold for women, and bronze for men in the East Africa University games (EAUG) held last year in Maseno, Kenya.
But even with all those trophies, UCU still lacks proper facilities to aid the training and growth of the sport. “I attribute 90% of this success to the players themselves,Mirembe said as she stressed that the success achieved came mostly due to the individual brilliance of the players,” she added.
Today’s victory keeps UCU as a steady competitor for a first place finish in the games following an opening victory against Makerere University yesterday. The ladies are competing in a round-robin format against Makerere University, Ndejje University and Makerere University Business School (MUBS). The ladies will face MUBS tomorrow, with a win seeing them off as winners
