Defending champions Greenlight Islamic Secondary School wasted no time asserting their dominance at the UMEA Solidarity Games, delivering a pair of composed and clinical performances to underline their intent of retaining the crown in Mbale.
Greenlight opened their campaign with a confident 17-11 victory over Namagabi SS in a Group A showdown at Nkoma SS, immediately positioning themselves as the benchmark side despite notable absences in their squad.
The champions, missing key figures in defender Hello and shooter Kizadde who crossed to Kitende, showed impressive depth, structure, and game management to comfortably dispatch last year’s hosts.
They followed up that statement win with an identical 17-11 triumph over Hamdan Girls, a result that further solidified their early grip on Group A and sent a clear message to the rest of the field — the champions remain firmly in control.
This year’s edition, hosted by Nkoma SS Mbale, burst into life with electrifying netball action across multiple courts, and will climax this Monday, the 6th April.
While Namagabi SS stumbled in their opener against the defending champions, they demonstrated resilience in their second outing, edging Kasana Vocational School 19-16 to keep their qualification hopes alive in what is shaping up to be a fiercely competitive Group A.
The group, featuring Greenlight Islamic SS, Namagabi SS, Kasana Vocational School, Bugembe Islamic, and Hamdan Girls, is already living up to expectations, though Greenlight’s early control has set them apart as the team to beat.
Elsewhere, Hamdan Girls had earlier produced the most emphatic result of the day, dismantling Bugembe Islamic 24-1 in a one-sided contest, while Kawanda SS quietly built momentum with back-to-back victories over Bilal Islamic (19-07) and Kasawo SS (19-05) to announce themselves as serious contenders.
Kaddugala SS, last year’s semifinalists, also began on a strong note with a commanding 17-06 win over Kakukugulu Memorial, as Wamatovu SS edged hosts Nkoma SS 15-13 before adding another win against Ibn Buz.
Gombe SS delivered one of the standout performances with a ruthless 21-01 demolition of Mariam High, while Kyantamba SS recovered from an earlier setback to overpower Nakaloke 27-08 in dominant fashion.
Amity SS and Busiika Muslim shared contrasting fortunes, with Amity cruising past Buziga Islamic 21-09 before narrowly falling 13-11 to Busiika Muslim in a tightly contested encounter.
However, the narrative of day one unmistakably belonged to Greenlight Islamic SS. With two wins from two and a composed, authoritative presence on court, the defending champions have laid down an early marker in their quest for back-to-back titles.
Day One Netball Results:
Greenlight Islamic SS 17-11 Namagabi SS
Bugembe Islamic 1-24 Hamdan Girls
Kibuli SS 16-08 Busiika Muslim
Amity SS 21-09 Buziga Islamic
Kawanda SS 19-07 Bilal Islamic
Nkoma SS 13-15 Wamatovu SS
Kaddugala SS 17-06 Kakukugulu Memorial
Masaka SS 05-09 Ibn Buz
Greenlight Islamic SS 17-11 Hamdan Girls
Hamdan Islamic SS 16-13 Kyantamba SS
Kasana Vocational 16-19 Namagabi SS
Sseke 11-13 Gombe SS
Kasawo SS 05-19 Kawanda SS
Masaka SS 09-19 Hamdan Islamic
Gombe SS 21-01 Mariam High
Amity SS 11-13 Busiika Muslim
Ibn Buz 06-16 Wamatovu SS
Ngando SS 18-09 Kakukugulu
Kyantamba SS 27-08 Nakaloke
