Uganda beat Scotland 53-43 to qualify to the second round of the tournament for the first time ever, they were runners up in group D. The She Cranes won two games despite losing the opener to hosts England.
Stella Oyella’s shooting accuracy was too much for Gail Parata’s side.
The teams traded goals in the opening 10 minutes before Oyella and inspirational captain Peace Proscovia moved Uganda into a 16-11 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Emma Barrie, at 17 the youngest in the Scotland squad, came on for Bethan Goodwin and scored seven goals from nine attempts.
But that was not enough to prevent Uganda from extending their advantage to eight goals by half-time – 29-21 the score – their eye for the net matched by their ability to intercept Scotland’s passes.
Uganda, ranked one place above Scotland in sixth, finish second in Group D behind England, whose win over Samoa ensured the Thistles advance.
Scotland and Uganda went into the match with identical records – a win over Samoa and a defeat by England – making this a straight shootout for second place in the group.
Elsewhere, defending champions Australia scored 99 goals to record the highest winning margin so far at the 2019 World Cup, on day three in Liverpool.
The Diamonds were already through to the second stage but secured top spot in Group A with a 99-24 win over Sri Lanka.
It means they qualify for the second round in Group F, which also includes four-time champions New Zealand.
The Silver Ferns, ranked fourth in the world, beat Singapore 89-21 before hosts England thumped Samoa 90-24 to top Group D.
Jamaica, ranked second in the world, could not peg back world number fives South Africa, losing 55-52 in a thrilling evening encounter.
The top three teams in each of the four groups qualify for the next round and will now fight for a place in the semi-finals.
England were joined by Scotland and Northern Ireland despite defeats for both home nations.
while Northern Ireland’s dramatic 51-49 defeat by Zimbabwe meant they also had to settle for a third-place finish.
Zimbabwe took second spot in Group A, on their first appearance at a World Cup, much to the delight of their jubilant fans.
In Group B, Malawi beat Barbados 65-41 as they went through in second and third place respectively, while Trinidad and Tobago beat Fiji 67-56 to finish third in Group C.
The top three teams in Group A and B will move through to play in Group F, while the top three sides in Group C and D will move into Group G.
Teams will only play countries they have not already played in their first group, and their previous results carry through. That means England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will not face each other in the second stage.
The first and second-placed teams in groups F and G will go through to the semi-finals on 20 July, with the top-placed team in each group facing the second team in the other group.
The winners of each semi-final will compete for gold in the final, with the losers playing for bronze and the other remaining teams will compete for final placings from fifth to 16th.
The second stage will get under way when Zimbabwe take on New Zealand in the first match on Monday.
Northern Ireland are up first from the home nations as they face Malawi, before defending champions Australia meet Barbads.
England take on Jamaica, before Scotland play South Africa in the final match of the day.
Elsewhere, Sri Lanka face Singapore, Fiji take on Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago are up against Uganda.
