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Kakungulu doing shuttlecock business fine without Kasirye
Kakungulu Memorial players (green) fight for possession against Seeta High yesterday. Hockey is into the last eight today. PHOTO BY DARREN ALLAN KYEYUNE
Kakungulu Memorial School are a household name in the schools’ badminton arena particularly the boys. They share the stage here with Mbogo High and Kibuli Secondary School. At the Fresh Dairy Secondary School Ball Games in Mbale, Kakungulu is strolling.
They have been unscathed in the pool stage under the tutelage of coach Gilbert Ofuyuru.
And the eight-man team has had to do it without their best player Brian Kasirye. Uganda’s number one Kasirye is at the Games but the senior six student cannot play because he has a right knee problem. They topped Group B to make the tournament semifinals due today after defeating Lubiri SS 5-0. That is the same score in the win over Busoga College Mwiri and only Namilyango College was spared with a 4-1 trimph.
“I am just watching them on and giving them guidance,” said Kasirye who is assisting Ofuyuru at the bench.
“Even without me, the guys have prepared enough and ready to take on anyone to win the tournament,” remarked Kasirye who handed over the court captain duties to Muzafaru Lubega.
At 16, Kasirye represented Uganda at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia last year.
In Australia, he eliminated Falkland Island’s Douglas Clark 2-0 and later Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicholas Bonkowsky but was stopped by eventual men’s singles winner Lee Chong Wei at the last 16 stage. Kasirye recently finished as the best player at the national trials to qualify for the All-Africa Games due August in Morocco.
Elsewhere, basketball entered the last 16 stage while Nabisunsa and Ntare claimed fifth place play-off victories over Trinity College Nabbingo and Mbale SS respectively in lawn tennis at Mbale Sports Club.
FRESH DAIRY SCHOOL GAMES
SELECTED RESULTS
Badminton - Boys
Kakungulu Memorial 5-0 Lubiri
Kibuli SS 5-0 Smack
Mbale SS 3-2 Seroma
Girls
Nabisunsa 5-0 Nabbingo
Kibuli SS 4-1 St Michael Ssonde
Lawn Tennis - Fifth Place Playoff - Girls
Nabisunsa 3-0 Nabbingo
Boys
Ntare 2-1 Mbale SS
