Upper Volta Pool Club came from four frames down to beat Scrap Buyers 11-9, handing the table leaders their first defeat of the 2026 National Pool League season at RoxBerry Bar in Kiwanga on Sunday.

Scrap Buyers won the opening four frames to take early control, but Upper Volta fought back to complete a remarkable comeback and strengthen their position in the title race.

Former national team captain Habib Ssebuguzi faced Peter Mayinja in Frame Five. Mayinja, playing yellow, had a chance to inspire the recovery after Ssebuguzi cleared most of the table but failed to pot the black ball. Mayinja capitalised to reduce the deficit to 4-1.

Kenneth Odong then beat Glorious “Stone” Ssenyonjo, popularly known as the Black Potter, to make it 4-2 before Ceaser Chandiga, nicknamed Scorpion, produced a break-and-finish to bring Upper Volta within one frame.

Scrap Buyers’ Farouk Mutumba looked set to restore their advantage against Joseph Rwotokonya, but potting the cue ball proved costly. Rwotokonya took advantage to level the match at 4-4.

Scrap Buyers regained the lead in Frame Nine when Ibrahim Kayanja, known as Musilamu, beat Mayinja, who lost the lag and did not take a shot. Kayanja made it 5-4.

Yudah Ssembusi, popularly known as Demba Ba, then faced Ssebuguzi in Frame 10. Ssembusi received a yellow card for aggressively talking back to the umpire before Ssebuguzi extended Scrap Buyers’ lead to 6-4 at half-time.

Chandiga beat Ssenyonjo after the break to pull Upper Volta closer, but Rwotokonya lost his frame as Scrap Buyers moved to 7-5. Mutumba followed with a break-and-finish against Peter Matovu to make it 8-5, while Kayanja beat Mansoor Bwanika, nicknamed Muto, to stretch the lead to 9-5.

Upper Volta needed a strong response, and Odong provided one, winning the 15th frame despite losing control of the cue ball to make it 9-6.

The comeback gathered pace as Upper Volta cut the deficit to 9-8 by Frame 17. With three frames remaining, Odong and Chandiga helped seal the 11-9 victory, ending Scrap Buyers’ unbeaten run.

The result left defending champions RoxBerry top of the men’s standings, ahead of Scrap Buyers, with Upper Volta third. Adi’s moved into fourth place, pushing Club 408 down to fifth.

E-Play celebrate first double win

The men’s league resumed across several venues on Sunday, with E-Play Billiards Pool Club recording two wins on the same day for the first time this season.

At Pot It in Najjanankumbi, E-Play started with an 11-0 win over Tororo Tigers before losing 14-6 to Adi’s. They recovered to beat Mbale 13-7, giving their supporters reason to celebrate.

Adi’s also enjoyed three wins, beating Mbale 16-4, E-Play 14-6 and Tororo Tigers 11-0. Mbale responded to their opening defeat by beating Tororo Tigers 11-0, while Tororo lost all three matches.

Defending champions RoxBerry beat Wakiso 16-4, Pot It 15-5 and Capital Night 11-0. Wakiso also defeated Capital Night 11-0 and edged Pot It 11-9.

At Home Base in Kireka, Club 408 beat Kireka 11-9, while Corporate Shooters defeated Kireka 14-6. Greater Mukono and Kireka also played a match recorded at 10-10, with Kireka winning the deciding contest 2-1.

In Kiwanga, Upper Volta beat Nakawa 19-1 and Scrap Buyers 11-9. Scrap Buyers defeated Sinkers 14-6 and Nakawa 12-8, while Upper Volta lost to Sinkers in a deciding contest after the match ended 10-10, with Sinkers winning 4-3.

RoxBerry go top

RoxBerry lead the men’s standings with 26 total points from nine matches, having won eight and drawn one, with a bonus point. Scrap Buyers are second on 24 points, while Upper Volta have 23 points from seven wins and two draws.

Adi’s and Club 408 are fourth and fifth with 21 points each. Greater Mukono are sixth on 16, followed by Sinkers and Wakiso City on 12 apiece.

Mbale have 11 points, Pot It 10 and E-Play nine. Kireka and Corporate Shooters have eight each, while Capital Night have seven. Tororo Tigers are on three points, with Nakawa bottom on two.

Upper Volta’s comeback was the weekend’s standout result, while Mukono and Samona made strong starts to the ladies’ campaign. With the season still taking shape, both title races promise plenty of competition.

Mukono Ladies begin title defence in style

Mukono Pool Club opened their title defence with three wins, sending an early warning to their rivals in the Ladies National Pool League.

Led by sisters Rukia Naiga and Rashida Mutesi, Mukono began with a 15-5 victory over neighbours Genesis Pool Club before thrashing Kireka’s She Sinkers 16-4.

They then overcame Luzira outfit Akanya Pool Club 11-9 in their toughest match of the day to complete a clean sweep.

Mukono have dominated the competition over the past two seasons, and their opening performance suggests they will be difficult to dislodge.

However, Samona also won all three matches to take the early lead on frame difference. They beat Bob Male 11-9, She Buyers 19-1 and Silver Back 11-0 to collect nine points.

Samona have a frame difference of plus 31, having scored 41 frames and conceded 10. Mukono are second with 42 frames scored and 18 conceded, giving them a plus-24 difference.

At Amigos in Kansanga, Bob Male beat She Buyers 11-9 and Silver Back 11-0 but lost 11-9 to Samona. The results left Bob Male third on six points, ahead of fourth-placed Akanya, who also have six points.

Akanya beat She Sinkers and Genesis by identical 12-8 scores before losing 11-9 to Mukono.

She Scrap Buyers and She Sinkers each have three points from one win in three matches. Genesis and Silver Back are still without a win.

Genesis lost 15-5 to Mukono, 12-8 to Akanya and 12-8 to She Sinkers. Silver Back suffered three 11-0 defeats against She Buyers, Samona and Bob Male.