Junior Vincy Jewels gain valuable experience despite losses at CYG 2023

Despite losing all of their matches at the inaugural netball competition at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG), coach of the junior Vincy Jewels is not hanging her head in despair.

“It was a good for the young ladies to be introduced to the international competitive scene and also to the Fast Five competition. With the loss of the OECS Under-23 Tournament, it was a great introduction to competitive netball outside of the national scene,” Nicole Stevenson, coach of the team told SEARCHLIGHT.

Stevenson said based on their experience and preparation, the team gave a very good account of themselves at the tournament which took place in Trinidad from August 11 to 14.

“The biggest challenges for the team were matching their game at the international level, and the size and athleticism of the competitors. However, the girls were able to dig at their deepest to meet their competitors, which we are sure will bring benefits in the future. Before each game the girls were very excited to compete.”

The Fast Five format is not practised nor played regularly in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Stevenson said the tournament provided an introduction to the Fast Five format for the young ladies as they are accustomed to the seven-player per team game.

She said training was limited to one session weekly on Saturdays due to school commitments, but this was increased to daily upon the commencement of the school holidays.

Looking ahead to upcoming engagements at the World Youth Qualifiers in Guadeloupe next year, the junior Vincy Jewels coach said “We saw improvement game after game even though we came up short of winning. I am convinced that the experiences gained with the Fast 5 netball has made us more equipped for netball in general going forward.”

The team consisted of 10 players; three centre court players, three shooters, and four defenders, along with the management team.