Sunshine Girls will be 'full strength' for England series

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

JAMAICA will field a full-strength team for its senior netball showdown against England, when both countries meet in the two-Test National Commercial Bank (NCB) Sunshine Series next month at the National Indoor Sports Complex.

"We will definitely have a full-strength team for this series and therefore all our senior players, including the ones who didn't make the trip to Australia and New Zealand, will be playing in the series," said Marva Bernard, president of the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA), during yesterday launch at the NCB Wellness and Recreation Centre on Phoenix Avenue.

The series, which is being sponsored to the tune of $2 million by NCB for the third consecutive year, will see the first Test match being played on September 1, followed by the second clash, two days later.

Currently, the Sunshine Girls are engaged in a series in Oceania against the world number-one and number-two ranked Australia and New Zealand, respectively. The team, which lacks some of the country's top players and is plagued by injuries, was comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Australia; and took on New Zealand in the opening match of another two-Test-series, at 2.a.m. this morning.

Key absentees from the recent tour include captain Simone Forbes, Kasey Evering and Althea Byfield.

"I saw them training last night (Monday) and they looked wonderful in the routines because they were working very hard on the court," Bernard said.

"We are expecting an exciting series because whenever our Sunshine Girls go up against England, it is always very exciting; and I am urging the supporters to come and support our girls for this series," she added. "NCB has been a wonderful partner and integral to the growth and success of the series so far."

Belinda Williams, NCB's corporate communications manager, said: "NCB has a long history of supporting sports and we believe that the NCB Sunshine Series is a great fit, as it gives us the privilege to be a part of world-class competition and provides us with the opportunity to witness the growth of netball and Jamaica's Sunshine Girls."