Sunshine Girls looking to fine-tune against England
Published:Wednesday | November 17, 2021 | 12:11 AM
NATIONAL SENIOR netball coach Connie Francis says the Sunshine Girls are fit and ready to go for the three-Test Vitality series against England later this month in England.
The series begins on November 28 at the Copper Box Arena in London. This will be followed by consecutive games at the Motorbox Arena in Nottingham on December 4 and December 5.
“COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the international calendar, but the three days of high-intensity, top-quality netball action will allow us to work on some areas of concern identified in the Sunshine Series,” said Francis, referring to the just-concluded matches against Trinidad and Tobago.
“We are not quite where we want be, but the team is very balanced, despite missing a few key players who are, unfortunately, unavailable,” she said.
The Sunshine Girls’ 12-member squad includes one newcomer in Amanda Pinkney. However, they will be without the services of shooter Romelda Aiken, who is injured; along with defender Shannika Johnson, who withdrew after deciding not to take the COVID-19 vaccine, which is a requirement; and centre Nicole Dixon, who withdrew for personal reasons.
The other members of the squad are captain Jhaniele Fowler, Shanice Beckford, Gezelle Allison, Adean Thomas, Khadijah Williams, Shadian Hemmings, Shamera Sterling, Malysha Kelly, Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Latanya Wilson.
MEMBERS INCLUDED IN TOURING TEAM
Four members of the development squad, Kelsey Jonas, Kimone Shaw, Mikeala Walker and Tafiya Hunter, are also included in the touring team.
The Sunshine Girls will enter the tour on the back of their 3-0 series win on home soil over Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago in October.
Fowler said that she is looking forward to a very entertaining series against the English team.
“We are looking forward to an exciting series,” said Fowler. “We are always happy to be on court, and England and Jamaica are the number three and number four ranked teams in the world,” she pointed out.
“We are hoping for the usual high-energy support from our Jamaican fans in England,” Fowler said.
Tricia Robinson, president of Netball Jamaica, said the games against the third-ranked England team were important in the drive to improve the team’s synergy and the ranking of the Sunshine Girls.
“England is always great competition for us, and the series will help us to assess exactly where we are as we prepare for the Commonwealth Games,” said Robinson.