Netball Super League | Vitality Netball Superleague Watch: Uganda She Cranes vs Samoa

All ten Vitality Netball Superleague sides are being represented at the Vitality Netball World Cup in Liverpool this summer. Mary Cholhok will be the only VNSL representative when the Uganda She Cranes play Samoa at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, on Saturday 13 July.

The Lowdown

The She Cranes, meanwhile, have improved exponentially in recent times, rising from 17th in the INF world rankings to sixth. The current side is littered with world-class talent and they have proven capable against some of the best.

Uganda beat Zambia 64-56 on the penultimate day of their regional qualifier to secure their place in Liverpool. They join Zimbabwe as the qualifiers from the Africa region and are one of five African teams participating at the event.

They first appeared at the 1979 edition of the Netball World Cup where they drew equal 13th with St Lucia, their best finish came at the 2015 edition where they finished eighth.

Their opposition, Samoa, first appeared at the World Cup in 1991. The Samoans have been consistent when on the world stage, qualifying for every edition since their debut and finishing in the top ten on six separate occasions.

Now 14th in the INF World Rankings, Samoa defeated all four of their regional rivals Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Cook Islands in their regional qualifier event to confirm their place at this year’s World Cup.

VNSL Players Involved

Mary Cholhok (Uganda She Cranes & Loughborough Lightning)

Mary Cholhok became the second Ugandan to turn out for Loughborough Lightning after international teammate Peace Proscovia when she signed for the Midlands outfit last year. The 6’7 goal shooter has made an impression on court thanks to her evident shooting prowess, winning the Gilbert Golden Shot Award.

Head-to-Head

The She Cranes and Samoa have not crossed paths too often. The pair did, however, play an international friendly as a warm-up game ahead of the 2015 Netball World Cup in Australia with Uganda winning 75-52 on that occasion.

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Image credit: Loughborough University