NAIROBI, Kenya, June 16, 2025 – National women’s netball team coach Mugisha Ali remains unbowed despite losing their first match of the UAE Netball Cup to top-ranked Namibia.
Ali says their ultimate target still remains to reach the final.
“We made a few mistakes in defence, which we will work on before we face Singapore. With the way we played in the third and fourth quarters, I believe we can go all the way to the final,” the coach said.
The Kenyan Divas lost 41-33 to the southern Africans at the Al Nasr Club in Dubai on Sunday, picking up the pace after a slow start.
The Namibians raced to a seven-point lead after five minutes, going on to win 11-8 in the first quarter despite Kenya’s best efforts to bridge the gulf.
The Debmarine Desert Jewels went into halftime leading 21-13, increasing it to 33-22 in the third quarters.
However, Ali’s charges came storming back in the ultimate quarter but were time-barred in their attempt at a comeback.
Goal attacker Hellen Sinoya topped the scoring board for Kenya with 22 points out of 22 attempted shots, followed by Doreen Akinyi who succeeded with 11 points out of the 14 shots.
Looking back to the encounter, the coach was proud of how his players recovered from a nervy start to hold their own against the top seeds.
“We were very slow off the blocks in the first quarter but I am glad that the girls recovered very quickly and were able to match their opponents,” Ali said.
Echoing his comments was team skipper Parin Simiyu who said they will give their all in the next fixture to avoid a repeat of their mistakes against Namibia.
“In the next game, we’ll focus on improving our endurance and consistency to ensure we get the win,” Simiyu said.
The round-robin tournament, which began on Sunday, continues until Saturday (June 21).
Other teams in contention include Singapore, United States, Ireland and UAE.
