KAMPALA – Uganda’s national pool team has bowed out of the World Blackball Pool Championship after failing to secure UK visas.
The men on the Uganda national pool team. PHOTO/Samson Opus
The team of 16 men and women was due to jet out to Perth, Scotland on Sunday. The Pool Cranes had been drawn to take on Ireland in the team event Tuesday (yesterday).
Top seed Fahad Ssewankambo was among the first group of seven players who were denied visas on Monday.
The rest of the players were yet to know their fate by press time.
Despite the setback, Pool Association of Uganda (PAU) chairman Farouk Kisuze was still optimistic that some players could make the trip to Scotland.
“This is a very unfortunate situation. Visa problems have complicated everything including travel and hotel bookings,” he lamented.
“We are now left with a remote chance of competing in the individual category,” said Kisuze.
This is the first time Uganda was planning to field a team at the global stage. The country has often been represented by players in individual capacity.
In the warm-up for the World Blackball championship, Uganda’s women team bagged silver while the men came fourth in the Africa Championship in Dar es Salaam last weekend.
The women’s side captained by Zainab Nambafu includes Victoria Namuyanja, Ritah Nimusiima, Caroline Kanzira, Sharon Mirembe, Shamim Nalugwa and Rehema Nanyondo.
The men’s team led by Oscar Ocakacon has Ssewankambo, Amos Ndyagumanawe, Joseph Mutaawe, Alfred Gumikiriza, Asuman Bukenya, Jonah Turigye and Sula Matovu.
By Samson Opus, The New Vision