Robert Bailey, Freelance Writer

Simone Forbes, captain of Jamaica's 12-member squad to this month's Americas Federation of Netball Association's (AFNA) Caribbean championships, is very optimistic of their chances despite the level of inexperience in the team.

The team selected for the tournament to be held in St Vincent and the Grenadines from July 18-26, includes seven members of the Under-21 team which recently lost a three-Test series 3-0 to their Australia Institute of Sports (AIS) age-group counterparts.

Team members

The seven are: Goal shooter Christina Solmon, who also represented the country at last year's World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, Crystal Gordon, Vanessa Walker, Malysha Kelly, Sabrina Spence, Sateva Taylor and Tracey-Ann Robinson.

"I definitely think that we are going to win this championship despite the number of inexperienced players in our squad," Forbes said in an interview with The Gleaner yesterday.

"Even though most of them will be representing the senior team for first time, I believe that they are very good players because they did extremely well against the Australians," she noted.

Forbes added: "They are young players, but I think that they are mature enough to handle themselves for this kind of competition, with the guidance of the senior players."

The other senior members are: vice-captain Nadine Bryan, Nichala Gibson, Nicole Aiken and Samantha Mundle. The team's coach is Connie Francis, whose assistant is Antonette Daley.