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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe netball team’s hopes of retaining the Africa Championships title went up in smoke yesterday when they lost 45-61 to hosts Uganda in Kampala.

The Zimbabwe Gems needed victory to keep their hopes alive after losing their first game to Malawi on Sunday. Although they claimed two victories against Botswana and Zambia, it seems they needed more to overcome the Ugandans, who also beat Malawi, the top-ranked team at the ongoing tournament.

The championships are being played on a round-robin basis and Zimbabwe’s second defeat means they will now fight to finish in a respectable position. Uganda are now the favourites to take the championships as they are the only team yet to lose a match.

Zimbabwe Netball Association secretary-general Barbra Rice yesterday said it was always going to be difficult considering how Uganda overpowered Malawi, who are ranked among the top teams in the world.

“They are now fighting for position two or three, somewhere there. So definitely they will not bring back gold but either silver or bronze. “This one I saw it coming because Uganda are now a strong team. These guys have international players playing in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

‘’They had beaten Malawi and I said it will be a tough game,” said Rice. Zimbabwe take on Namibia today in their final game in this competition.

The Gems had been hoping for another successful campaign, having won the African title for the first time in 2015.

The championships attracted six countries — Botswana, Uganda, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.