17 October 2009
UGANDA : Relegated Riders blame it on bad luck
BY Sande Bashaija
Wandegeya
Today at YMCA
TLC v Biston Planets 11:30am
Bushcourt v Gulu Hawks 2pm
St Michael v Heaters 5pm
Women
Stormers v Amazon Rhino 1pm
Nabisunsa v Crane High 3:30pm
How does it feel to get relegated every season? Knight Riders have the most appropriate answer.
Promoted to the MTN-Fuba League men’s topflight, Riders, were relegated to Second Division after one season but made an immediate comeback. Unlike other local teams, relegation after the 2007 season didn’t disintegrated Riders.
They stayed together and mounted a challenge in the second tier, eventually emerging champions last year after defeating Ndejje University Angels 3-2 in the best of five finals. That guaranteed both teams slots in the topflight. But after recording only two wins in 15 games, the Entebbe-based Riders have suffered the drop again. “I think we are just unlucky. We get everything right in training but it’s hard to explain what goes wrong during matches,” senior player Rogers Odiama said after Riders suffered a 92-62 loss to Kyambogo Warriors at YMCA Wandegeya on Wednesday night.
They needed victory against Warriors to survive and their start gave them a glimmer of hope, but failed to match-up with the Warriors. “We played good defence in the first quarter but somehow guys lost the focus,” Odiama noted. Surprisingly, Ndejje Angels, second to Riders in the lower tier last year, are now pushing for a play-offs slot.
Wandegeya
Today at YMCA
TLC v Biston Planets 11:30am
Bushcourt v Gulu Hawks 2pm
St Michael v Heaters 5pm
Women
Stormers v Amazon Rhino 1pm
Nabisunsa v Crane High 3:30pm
How does it feel to get relegated every season? Knight Riders have the most appropriate answer.
Promoted to the MTN-Fuba League men’s topflight, Riders, were relegated to Second Division after one season but made an immediate comeback. Unlike other local teams, relegation after the 2007 season didn’t disintegrated Riders.
They stayed together and mounted a challenge in the second tier, eventually emerging champions last year after defeating Ndejje University Angels 3-2 in the best of five finals. That guaranteed both teams slots in the topflight. But after recording only two wins in 15 games, the Entebbe-based Riders have suffered the drop again. “I think we are just unlucky. We get everything right in training but it’s hard to explain what goes wrong during matches,” senior player Rogers Odiama said after Riders suffered a 92-62 loss to Kyambogo Warriors at YMCA Wandegeya on Wednesday night.
They needed victory against Warriors to survive and their start gave them a glimmer of hope, but failed to match-up with the Warriors. “We played good defence in the first quarter but somehow guys lost the focus,” Odiama noted. Surprisingly, Ndejje Angels, second to Riders in the lower tier last year, are now pushing for a play-offs slot.
# posted by afrbk : 22:10
