Evering to rejoin Jamaica team Monday

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

After more than seven months out because of knee surgery, national representative Kasey Evering is set to make a return to the Sunshine Girls' team on Monday.

The 29-year-old Evering, who underwent surgery in New Zealand last June to repair her injured left knee, told The Gleaner in an interview that she is looking forward to resume training with her national teammates.

"I am going to do some light work with the national team on Monday and also try to help out the younger players in every way that I can," said Evering.

The tall defender reaggravated her knee while representing Canterbury Tactix in the ANZ Championships - which is played in Australia and New Zealand - during a collision with her former national teammate, Carla Borrego, who plays for the Adelaide Thunderbirds, on April 3 last year.

She added that her recovery has been going well and says she cannot wait to start playing competitively.

"My recovery has been going well because I have been going to the gym five days a week and I have also been doing a lot of running on my own," said Evering, who was a member of the Sunshine Girls team which finished fourth at the last Commonwealth Games, held in India, in 2010.

"I would like to start playing competitively for my club (Tivoli Gardens) in March when the Super League begins," Evering said.

"However, I plan to take it one day at a time because I want makesure that my knee is perfectly healed whenever I start playing competitively again," said the lanky player, who is regarded as one of the nation's best defenders.

"I love playing netball for my country and I'm so anxious to start playing again. I also plan to get back into the ANZ championships again, because I love playing over there against some of the best players in the world," Evering said.

The Tivoli Gardens player represented Jamaica at two World Netball Championships (WNC), the 2006 Common-wealth Games and also at the World Youth Netball Championships in 2000. She last repre-sented Jamaica in January against the defending world champions, Australia. That series ended in a 1-1 draw.