England eye sweep

Robert Bailey, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Karen Atkinson, captain of England's netball team, said her side will be pulling out all the stops to secure a 3-0 series victory over the Sunshine Girls, when both teams meet on Tuesday in their opening match of their three-Test Supreme Ventures Sunshine Series at National Indoor Sports Complex.

The second game will be played on Thursday, April 28, and the final match is set for Saturday, April 30, also at the same venue.

"We are hoping to win all three matches because that is what we have come out here for, but at the same time we want to give some experience to our younger players," said Atkinson in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner, upon her team's arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport on Friday.

"Everytime we step on the court we are going to put our best seven players out there because we always aim to win every game that we play," said Atkinson, who played against the Sunshine Girls in the last series here, which ended 1-1.

However, the English who are ranked third in the world, one place above the Sunshine Girls, will be without two of their most experienced - Sonia McKloma and Geva Mentor - for the series.

Both players are currently plying their trade in the ANZ Netball Championships in Australia and New Zealand.

"We have a couple of defenders over in the ANZ Championships and so it is a good chance for us to run some defensive combinations and it is also important to solidify our team before we get to the World Championships in Singapore," Atkinson said.

However, Jamaica's and Australian-born technical director Jill McIntosh, said she is anticipating a very competitive series.

"I expect the three matches to be very close, it's going to be a very tight series (with) England ranked number three, marginally ahead of the Sunshine Girls. As in the past, it's usually only a few goals that separates them either way," said McIntosh.

Team effort

She added that it is going to take a total team effort from all Sunshine Girls if they are to defeat the English in this series.

"I think it takes a team to win these tough matches, and certainly all players have been training well," McIntosh said. "Hopefully, the combined team effort will rise above what the English have to throw at them."

England squad: Karen Atkinson (captain), Pamela Cookey (vice-captain), Layla Guscoth, Louisa Brownfield, Jade Clarke, Rachel Dunn, Tamsin Greenway, Joanne Harten, Eboni Beckford-Chambers, Lindsay Keable, Sasha Corbin, Camilla Buchanan, Stacey Francis, Serena Guthrie, Margaret Palmer.