Young Sunshine Girl seeks to make her mark

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

The absence of senior defenders Althea Byfield and Kasey Evering for Jamaica’s two-Test away series against top-ranked Australia and New Zealand gives national representative, Malysha Kelly, the opportunity to gain a secure starting place in the Sunshine Girls’ line-up.

The 20-year-old Kelly, who has been touted by many in netball circles as one of Jamaica’s best defenders, told The Sunday Gleaner in an interview that she has been working very hard on her game in training and is now looking forward to making her mark in the series.

“I am ready now to secure a permanent place in this team because I have been working very hard and listening to the coach and also following their instructions,” said the soft-spoken Kelly, who is an admirer of former national player Oberon Pitterson.

The Connie Francis-coached 12-member squad, which is scheduled to leave the island tomorrow will oppose Australia on August 8 and 15 respectively, before travelling to New Zealand where they will battle the hosts on August 18 and 21.

Kelly will vie for a starting spot with fellow defenders Georgia Gordon, Nicole Aiken and Sasha-Gaye Lynch.

“I am confident that I am going to do well on this tour because I am very excited about going there to play,” Kelly said. “I have been working really hard towards this, knowing this year is the Commonwealth Games and I want to make that team,” she added.

Kelly was also a part of the Sunshine Girls team that recorded historic, series-levelling victories over Australia and New Zealand on home soil last year, and said she has benefited a lot from playing in both series. She is also very confident that they can repeat last year’s historic wins over the world’s top-ranked sides.

“I think that we have a great chance of beating them again, but I know that it is going to be very hard because we are playing them away from home,” said Kelly, who also enjoys playing basketball and volleyball in her spare time.

Talented team

“However, we have a very talented team, with a lot of good players on it, and we have also worked very hard in our preparations for these series,” Kelly noted.

The 6ft tall versatile player played in the inaugural FastNet Series, which saw the Jamaicans capturing the bronze medal in the championships, which was held in the England last year. Kelly, who represents Ravens A in the Supreme Ventures Divisional A League competition, was also a member of Jamaica’s Under-21 team, which won the bronze medal at the World Youth Championships, held in the Cook Islands last August.

“I think that I have learned a lot from the senior players since coming into the team in 2008 and I just want to continue to grow and to become one of Jamaica’s best defenders,” said Kelly.

The lanky player, who is a former student at the Dinthill Technical High School, will be entering her second year at the University of the West Indies, where she is pursuing a degree in sociology.