- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
Windalco's captain and match MVP Nicola Malcolm (left) beats Jamalco and national representative Nadine Bryan to a pass during their JNBS Open League netball final at the Leila Robinson Courts yesterday. Jamalco won 30-22.
Charmaine Austin, Staff Reporter
HEADS I WIN. Heads I lose.Coach Winston Nevers must have felt like a double-headed coin during the JNA/JNBS Open League netball final at the Leila Robinson Courts yesterday.
As coach of both teams, he admittedly could not stand the pressure on-court so he immersed himself among spectators to watch as experienced Jamalco defeated its sister team Windalco A 30-22.
"It's hard to describe what I was feeling as I watched the game. On one hand I win and on the other hand I lose but I'm feeling very satisfied," he said in a post-game interview.
Crowd favourites Windalco pleased the large crowd with talented play and fast-paced action and lived up to expectations against their more seasoned counterparts.
They commanded the lead from early at 3-1 but as ball for ball was traded, fought to stay ahead.
Jamalco welcomed the challenge but had to be constantly changing their game to keep up with their younger opponents.
Windalco led 14-13 at the halftime break and increased their lead to two points on the resumption.
With the score at 18-16 and time running out, Jamalco realised something needed to be done fast and a substitution was in order. National representative Nadine Ffrench replaced Lavern McKenzie at goal defence and this spelt danger for the Windalco team.
Shooter Tiffannie Wolfe easily interpreted Ffrench's intentions but no amount of improvisation on her part could get her past the lanky defender enough times.
The score levelled at 20-20 and Jamalco's Margaret Byfield Lawrence scored to give her team the lead for the first time at 21-20.
Jamalco increased their lead to 24-20, Windalco added two more goals but 22 was where it stopped for them as Byfield in tandem with goal shoot Elaine Davis and with Wolfe and Marsha Murphy shut down at their shooting end, added six more baskets for their eight-goal victory.
The shooting statistics showed Davis scoring 19 of 21 attempts, Byfield 11 of 13 and for Windalco Murphy 17 of 20 tries and Wolfe five of six.
Defeated captain Nicola Malcolm said, "We are grateful to have reached this far especially since it's our first time reaching the final. It was a tough game but the better team won."
Malcolm said that throughout the game they were not worried about the fact that the teams shared coaches.
"We didn't think about it because it really didn't matter. We played them just as hard as we would have played anyone else. It was a good final," she said.
Jamalco's captain Andrea Markland agreed.
"The real winner here is Mr Nevers. We came out determined to win the Cup and we got it. It was a really good final and we are feeling good right now," she said.
Jamalco, who are also this year's Open Rally champions, won the JNBS league title in the 1997-1998 season.
"Experience prevailed. The baby team (Windalco) put up a good fight but Jamalco was more experienced," Nevers said. |
The consolation knockout final was also played yesterday and saw Speg A defeat Police A 24-19.
