MATCH ANALYSIS: VICTORIA PEARLS SUFFER EIGHT-WICKET BANGKOK LOSS
Uganda's Victoria Pearls were bowled out for 55, their lowest score, suffering an 8-wicket defeat to Thailand in Bangkok.
Victoria Pearls had a rough time in Bangkok, losing to Thailand Women by eight wickets in Match 18 of the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2025 at the Asian Institute of Technology Ground.
Uganda was sent in to bat but had difficulties gaining ground against Thailand's bowling.
Early wickets messed up the top order, not letting the batters settle, and putting pressure on them for the whole time.
Stephanie Nampiina stood tall amid the mess, scoring an unbeaten 23 off 43 balls.
She was the only one able to put up a fight, as partnerships were hard to come by.
With wickets dropping often, Uganda's score slowed down, and they were bowled out for only 55 runs in 19.3 overs. It was their lowest score in the competition, giving them little chance to win.
Thailand's bowling was on point, thanks to Thipatcha Putthawong, who had an amazing game.
She took five wickets for only six runs in 3.3 overs, tearing through Uganda’s middle and lower order with skill.
The other bowlers backed her up, making sure Uganda didn't recover from the early trouble and setting up a quick win.
Thailand chased the score without stress, playing it cool and getting the job done.
PROSCOVIA ALAKO SHINES, UGANDA VICTORIA PEARLS FALLS SHORT AGAINST DETERMINED DUTCH
Uganda Victoria Pearls lost to the Netherlands in the Emerging Nations Cup but showed potential with their best batting performance (111/6). They finished sixth overall.
The Uganda Victoria Pearls couldn't quite clinch a victory against the Netherlands, who were determined to win the Emerging Nations Cup.
Even though they lost, the Victoria Pearls can be proud of their best batting performance in the whole tournament. Uganda kept the same team lineup as before. The Dutch won the coin toss and chose to let Uganda bat first.
Esther Iloku was out quickly. Captain Janet Mbabazi seemed to be playing well, but she was unfortunately dismissed when a ball rolled onto her stumps. By the end of the power play, Uganda was at 26/2.
Proscovia Alako (34 not out) and Stephanie Nampiina (21) helped Uganda make good progress. Alako scored 19 runs in the last over, pushing the total to 111/6 in 20 overs.
During the chase, the Dutch team started aggressively. Kevin Amuge made a breakthrough in the first over but then allowed two boundaries.
Consy Aweko also took a wicket, but that was all the Victoria Pearls could manage. The Netherlands scored 51 during the power play, with Babette De Leede (17) and Sterre Kallis (32) putting pressure on the Ugandan bowlers.
Even with two more wickets falling, the Dutch secured the win in under 15 overs. This fifth win secured them a spot in the top four at the tournament.
The Victoria Pearls batted well, but it wasn't enough. They showed some promise, hinting at the team's potential. Alako displayed her hitting abilities, with especially strong ground strokes at the end.
Uganda ended the tournament with two wins and finished in sixth place, just ahead of the other two African teams. This shows they still have much to improve to catch up with the other teams.
This event happens every year, and when it returns in 2026, they should have learned from their mistakes and be ready to get more wins. The losses against the top teams showed them how much work they need to do to close the gap. A lot has been done with the team, but there's still more to do.
UGANDA PREMIER LEAGUE: VIPERS, VILLA BATTLE TO FIERCE 1-1 DRAW
Vipers and SC Villa fought to a 1-1 draw in the Uganda Premier League. The result stopped Villa's 5-game winning streak, tying them with KCCA at 17 points.
Vipers and SC Villa fought to a 1-1 draw on Saturday at St. Mary's Stadium in Kitende. Both teams seemed okay with a point, even though it stopped Villa's five-game win streak. Now, they're tied with KCCA at the top with 17 points.
Vipers are also moving up, sitting in fourth place. Their own winning streak ended at four, leaving them with 13 points, but they have three games in hand.
Villa could have scored early when Hassan Mubiru stole the ball from Vipers' Kevin DaSylva Bady. But instead of shooting, he passed, and the chance was wasted.
Vipers had a chance too, but Villa's goalie, David Lukwago, saved Karim Watambala's shot.
The first half didn't have many exciting moments. Villa couldn't capitalise on Vipers' struggles to move the ball out of their own end under Villa's pressure.
Later, Vipers' Yunus Sentamu shot wide when passing might have been the better choice.
The game picked up in the second half. Villa went ahead in the 68th minute when Frank Ssebuufu headed in a cross.
But the Vipers tied it up five minutes later. Okello passed to Usama Arafat, who scored the equaliser.
Late in the game, Villa's Sula Matovu was sent off for arguing with the referee, who had a tough day, along with her assistants.