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Sunshine Girls set for October return

Netball Jamaica president credits overseas competitions for tri-series preparation

Published:Wednesday | August 11, 2021 | 12:07 AM
Jamaica’s goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler (right) takes a shot; hopeful for a rebound are England’s goal keeper Razia Quashie (centre) and goal defence Layla Guscoth, during an encounter at the National Indoor Sports Centre. Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls are
Gladstone Taylor
Jamaica’s goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler (right) takes a shot; hopeful for a rebound are England’s goal keeper Razia Quashie (centre) and goal defence Layla Guscoth, during an encounter at the National Indoor Sports Centre. Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls are set for a tri-series against Trinidad and Tobago and South Africa in October.

The Sunshine Girls are set to be back on the court for the Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series from October 10-22 at the National Indoors Sports Centre. The event will see the Sunshine Girls competing against Trinidad and Tobago’s Calypso Girls and the South Africa Spar Proteas.

President of Netball Jamaica (NJ), Tricia Robinson, says NJ is far advanced in its preparations for the upcoming series.

The event, which will be held behind closed doors to keep in line with the country’s COVID-19 measures, will be the first for the national team in over a year. The netballers recently returned to on-court training and are excited to get back to competing.

“We are looking forward to some international competition, we are the only team that has not played internationally out of the top five countries, so we’re really looking forward to it,” Robinson told The Gleaner.

Although the lack of competition has impacted the team as a whole, there are some who have been affected more than others. The local-based members of the team are the ones who have felt the full blow of the pandemic on the sport, as no local competitions have commenced since the COVID-19 pandemic came into full swing in March 2020.

“We have been blessed in having part of our squad overseas in competition. A portion of the girls are in Australia, a set were in England, the majority of whom returned home. Usually when the girls are overseas you normally have the local competition there, so it has impacted the local players more than the overseas-based ones,” Robinson said.

While the girls at home continue with their preparation for the October series, Jamaica’s players in Australia have been excelling in the Suncorp Super League. The seven Jamaicans who participate in the league include defenders Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Shameera Sterling, Jodi-Ann Ward and Latanya Wilson; and three shooters in Romelda Aiken, Jhaniele Fowler and Shimona Nelson.

STRONG IN THE LEAGUE

Fowler has been a force to be reckoned with, scoring 788 goals so far for the West Coast Fever. She leads the top goalscorers list for the fourth time in a row. Sterling, who is the goalkeeper for Adelaide Thunder Birds, also continues to be strong in the league with 86 deflections, 49 interceptions and 25 defensive rebounds.

Aiken leads the offensive rebounds list with 87 rebounds and has scored 531 goals for the Queensland Firebirds. Collingwood Magpies’ Ward has 34 interceptions and 83 deflections and 17 defensive rebounds, while her teammate, Nelson, has 34 offensive rebounds and has scored 614 goals. All the above five are dominating in the Super League’s top-five overall stats.

The Sunshine Girls are also preparing for the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in July of next year in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

– Sanaa Douglas