A supremely confident Jamaica Netball team -Sunshine Girls- left the island on Sunday January 12th for England where they will participate in the Zeo Tri-Nation series, that also includes Fast Five champions, New Zealand. The series will begin on Friday January 17th and the girls are ready to play.
A supremely confident Jamaica Netball team -Sunshine Girls- left the island on Sunday January 12th for England where they will participate in the Zeo Tri-Nation series, that also includes Fast Five champions, New Zealand. The series will begin on Friday January 17th and the girls are ready to play.
The team has a number of young players who have stepped up from the Under-21 team and this series will no doubt provide them with valuable experience. An optimistic team manager, Antoinette Irons is hopeful about what the team can achieve on tour.
“I am loaded with optimism about what we can achieve on this tour and I view it as a dress rehearsal for the Commonwealth Games in July. For the younger players it is an opportunity to play their first Test series outside of Jamaica because their previous Test series against England was in Jamaica,” Irons said.
“It is also an opportunity to play against two higher ranked teams ahead of the Commonwealth Games. The Girls may need some time for acclimatization but it will also provide an opportunity for the young ones to gel with the senior players.
“I always encourage them to play strong, play hard and leave everything out on the court, ” she concluded
New captain Malysha Kelly is excited about what the team can achieve on the tour.
“The team has a lot of new young members who can’t wait to get going. It’s going to be a fascinating series and we want to put on a really good show. Playing against two of the best teams in the world so early in the year is a good measuring stick for us.”
School girl Khadijah Williams already has the bit between her teeth. The 19 year old student of the Queens School who plays centre and wing attack for the team said, “I am excited about the tour, I hope to gain a lot of experience playing against two big teams in the world of netball. I am ready to kick butt and I really want to beat England because of the rivalry that exists between us.”
Shanice Beckford who is also a student of the Queens School, is the ‘baby’ of the team at 18 years old but she is not one to be taken lightly. She is 5’9″ tall and has a slight frame but she is fearless and relishes the chance to play goal attack (GA) for her country.
“I am hoping to gain a lot of experience on this tour. It is the first time that I will be playing against New Zealand (in the traditional form of the game). I am going to do my best, play hard and shoot well. The New Zealand girls are really tall but I am not intimidated. I have no problems, I am good, I will get it done!”
General Manager of Netball Jamaica, Karen Anderson, has no illusions about what lies ahead for the team.
“It’s going to be tough,” she said. “We haven’t played New Zealand in two years so this will be a test of how far we have come in the traditional version of the game. It is a stepping stone for the Commonwealth Games. It is a bench mark and a gauge for both the Commonwealth games and Netball World Cup in 2015.
“Despite the loss of Romelda Aiken, we believe the team is competitive, strong, determined and ready to set the tone for the rest of the year.”
While a lot has been said about the Commonwealth Games in July, there is no doubt that come tip-off the focus will be entirely on the Zeo Tri-Nation Series.
Photo: Shanice Beckford and Khadijah Williams
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