Young netballers set to play in St. Kitts

A team of Under-16 Netball hopefuls leaves the state this Saturday for St. Kitts, to represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the 2011 Jean Pierre Caribbean Netball Association Tournament.{{more}}

The Tournament runs from Sunday, April 10, to Saturday April 15.

The Vincentian team is bolstered by three players who were part of last year’s outfit, which placed fifth in the tournament staged in Barbados.

Returning are Goal Shooter, Kaywanna Charles, Annique John, who can play in the Goal Attack, Wing Attack and Centre positions, and Goal Attack, Carlene Douglas.

Shannis Hall, Maurisa Sandy, Renica Phillips, Rosanna Stephens, Mishanda Creese, Morinda Spencer and Zonell James complete the local team.

Coach of the team Moeth Gaymes is positive that his charges would show improvements on last year’s outing.

Gaymes, who had his first taste of coaching at the national level in the 2010 tournament, told SEARCHLIGHT last Saturday, ahead of a match at the Kingstown Netball Centre, “last year’s team was a challenge, but this team is better prepared and more focused.”

The national Under-16 coach is banking on his mid-court and shooters to do the job.

To date, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has one Caribbean Netball Under-16 title to its name, which was pocketed in 1999. Like the other countries participating in the 2011 Tournament, St.Vincent and the Grenadines will not have to contend with powerhouse Jamaica, which will not be participating.

The Jamaicans have won the memorial trophy nine times. The youth tournament was started in 1998 in Antigua and Barbuda, with no tournaments taking place in 2003 and 2007.

In the 2010 version, the Vincentian lasses were only able to come away with a solitary win, and that was in their opening encounter, when they beat Grenada, and later drew with St. Lucia in their last match. Losses to Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Dominica relegated St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the fifth place, behind Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia, in that order.

The Vincentians finished ahead of Grenada and Dominica among the seeded teams.

However, this year, all nine participating teams will compete in one division.

Former President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association Doris McIntosh travels as the team Manager, with Cheryl Alexander, last year’s Manager, as the chaperone. (RT)