SVG‘s U-23 netballers place second again in OECS tournament

For the fourth straight year, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Under-23 netballers had to collect and wear the silver medals in the ECCB/OECS tournament.

However, last Monday evening, organizers in Grenada decided to halt the tournament because of threats of a weather system, thus aborting the title decider between St Vincent and the Grenadines and the host Grenada.

The duel was set for the Tanteen Sports Complex, and would have brought together the two unbeaten teams.

In their four matches, St Vincent and the Grenadines had beaten Montserrat, 74-12; St Lucia 44-38, Anguilla, 88-16 and St Kitts, 51-32.

Grenada beat Anguilla 74-14, St Kitts, 46-21, St Lucia, 32-28 and Montserrat, 89-5.

When the goal difference ruling was applied, Grenada’s 195 was better than St Vincent and the Grenadines’ 159.

This handed Grenada the title, thus completing a hat-trick and their sixth in the tournament, which dates back to 1991.

On the other hand, St Vincent and the Grenadines, 14 times winners of the tournament, equalled their longest stay without lifting the title.

The last lien for St Vincent and the Grenadines came in 2013, and they have been runners-up to St Lucia in 2014 and Grenada in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Similarly, St Vincent and the Grenadines did not win the tournament from 2008 to 2011, but retuned to win back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.

Despite leaving Grenada without the tournament’s top prize, St Vincent and the Grenadines was the best attacking team, according to the statistics, while goal shoot Khadijah Williams-Mills was the most accurate shooter.

St Vincent and the Grenadines was second in the team shooting competition and Ariel Stephens second in the individual shooting competition.

Coach of the team Godfrey Harry praised his team for giving of their best and was confident that they would have come out victorious against Grenada, had the match been played.

Harry believes that once the right systems are put in place and players stay healthy, St Vincent and the Grenadines will, in 2018, return to the pinnacle when the tournament is staged in St Kitts.

He underscored that 10 of the 12 players who travelled to Grenada are eligible for next year’s tournament, while he is hopeful that those who opted out from this year’s will avail themselves in 2018.