Blackman and Gollop Primary A and B teams continue to showcase their dominance in the on-going Pine Hill Dairy-sponsored National Sports Council’s Primary Schools Netball Competition.

Both the A and B teams destroyed their opponents this morning at the Netball Stadium. The A team won 20-0 over St Jude’s Primary; they brushed aside George Lamming 19-0 and St Stephen’s Primary also suffered the same fate when they went down 19-2. Meanwhile the B team played two games and trounced St Winifred’s 21-1 and won 13-2 when they took on Wilkie Cumberbatch.

St Stephen’s had it rough on the court all day as they also went down 7-4 to Chalky Mount. Chalky Mount had a relatively good day as they registered a 7-2 victory over St Jude’s Primary.

Despite losing to the dominant Blackman and Gollop B, Wilkie Cumberbatch announced their presence when they took on Belmont Primary and won 7-1. St Winifred’s School also had a 5-2 win against Belmont.

Chalky Mount goalkeeper Tamika Husbands stretches in an effort to reach this pass but doesn’t succeed.

Christ Church Foundation are the 2015 queens of the Barbados Secondary Schools Netball League.

This afternoon at the Netball Stadium they came from behind 6-2, 10-7 and 15-14 to take the game away from Springer Memorial 22-18 in the fourth and decisive quarter thanks to a contribution of nine goals from nine attempts from Most Valuable Player of the League, goal-shoot Stephian Shepherd. Fellow goal-shoot Chiara Chase contributed five from seven and goal-attack Brianna Holder netted eight goals from 15 attempts.

Foundation netball queens and trainers celebrate.

Most Valuable Player Stephian Shepherd soars and takes a beautiful catch to the disbelief of Springer Memorial goal-attack Rashanna Quintyne.

Head coach for Foundation Sandrene Jordan told Barbados TODAY her girls were hungry for success especially against Springer Memorial and they were very happy with how the finals went.

“I spoke to them and told them it is a final and the games we had won during the preliminary round, it is different when you get to this stage and if they want it they have to play to get it because Springer is not going to let go that easily. And just as I said they came out on the court played the game and came out victorious,” Jordan said.

Jordan, who has over 20 years experience under her belt in netball, said the victory was a build-up from the semi-final round when they edged 2014 champions Queen’s College 15-14 in the semi-final round and then came into the finals and stunned Springer who seemed to have had the game under control with some good passing from defenders Rhnea Gaskin who played wing-defence and Tricia Phillips, goal-defence. Those two in particular took the attack to Foundation in the first two quarters.

Springer Memorial goal-attack Rashana Quintyne netted 14 goals from 15 attempts and goal-shoot Rashida Quintyne had four goals from four attempts.

Foundation were down by just one goal, 15-14, going into the final quarter and made a few changes. Leilani Haddock was moved from wing-attack to center and looked very comfortable in that role and Chiara Chase was moved from wing-attack to goal-shoot.

Clearly those changes worked in Foundation’s favour and they were able to shut down Springer and lock the scorers 15-15 and then take the lead by two points. From there Springer, who missed a few chances that they should have scored, allowed Foundation to gain too many possessions and that spelt the beginning of the end.

Coleridge and Parry finished third when they defeated Queen’s College 22-20 in the third-place play-off.

The quarterfinalists of the 2015 Pine Hill Dairy-sponsored National Sports Council’s Primary Schools Netball Tournament have been decided.

These matches will be played tomorrow at the Netball Stadium and will see Blackman and Gollop B matched against George Lamming; West Terrace taking on Wilkie Cumberbatch; Blackman and Gollop A playing All Saints Primary; and Grantley Prescod pitted against Ignatius Byer.

In action on the court today at the Netball Stadium, four of the quarterfinalists were in action with mixed results.

Grantley Prescod defeated All Saints Primary 7-4 with Donnelle Trotman leading the way with seven goals from 11 attempts. Nakara Bishop had four goals from seven attempts for All Saints.

Ignatius Byer defeated St Mary’s 4-2 but were then demolished 10-2 by West Terrace. Against St Mary’s Kristie Griffith had four goals from six attempts while Tamia Duke Woodal and Nazera Harewood had a goal each for their school.

Roshea Williams with six goals from seven attempts and Azariah Griffith, four from eight, led West Terrace’s dominant showing over Ignatius Byer for whom Griffith scored the two goals.

In other results Tesharra Holdipp had five goals from five attempts and Katrina Austin added two from two,as St Bernard’s defeated Deacons Primary for whom Shereena Mayers netted three goals from three attempts.

ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – The Sunshine Girls defeated Barbados Gems 66-31 in the third and final match, to sweep the Supreme Ventures Sunshine Series 3-0 at the GC Foster College for Physical Education and Sports in St Catherine on Sunday night.

Goal-shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid hit 28 goals from 32 attempts, while Anna-Kay Griffiths got 21 goals from 24 tries.

For Barbados, goal-shooter Shonica Wharton hit 21 goals from 25 attempts.

Both countries are preparing for the Netball World Cup to be held in Australia in August.

(Jamaica Observer)

KINGSTON –– Barbados were beaten 56-31 yesterday by Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls to lose the Supreme Ventures three-game series 3-0.

Playing at the G.C. Foster College, Barbados started the game purposefully and made it competitive for the first part of the opening quarter. But the Sunshine Girls found their footing midway in the period and dominated from thereon to end the quarter 18-7.

Barbados continued to show some resilience after the break, with goal keeper Shonette Azore-Bruce and goal defence Rhe-Ann Niles doing well to intercept some passes in to goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid. Jamaica led 34-18 at half-time.

Jamaica made several changes at the break but continued to dominate and ran out easy winners.

Jamaica’s technical director, Jill McIntosh, said the team was nearly ready for the World Cup in Australia. She admitted that there was still work to do ahead of the championship, but added there was adequate time to make those corrections.

“It was good, it was another win, and it’s three out of three. We tried new combinations, and that was always the plan, and each player has been given [her] opportunity to play,” McIntosh said.

Barbados coach Anna Shepherd, whose squad is also preparing for the World Cup, said the tour was helpful.

Anna Shepherd

“The main purpose for coming here was seeing our girls against top opposition. I am grateful to Netball Jamaica for inviting us here,” she stated.

By Wednesday, hopefully, everyone should know who will contest the final of the Pine Hill Dairy-sponsored National Sports Council’s Primary Schools Netball Competition after today’s semi-final games were abandoned due to rain.

The game between Blackman and Gollop B and Grantley Prescod got underway today at the Netball Stadium and went down to the fourth and decisive quarter with the score 16-8 to Blackman and Gollop. Then the rain started and forced play to be called off with five minutes and 26 seconds remaining.

National Sports Council coach and organizer for the competition, Sonia Banfield, who officiated the game with Sandrene Jordan before the game was forced to be called off, said Jordan was unable to finish the game because she had an appointment and had to leave.

The other coach present, Tracey Leacock, was reportedly not feeling well and therefore the game had to be rescheduled until Wednesday. This though the court had been dried with the help of parents and fans present.

The first semi-final game played was locked 3-3 in the opening quarter. Then Blackman and Gollop took the lead 7-6 and commanded the game 16-8 in the third quarter.

This year’s tournament has been filled with controversy with some teams and NSC officials questioning the presence of two Blackman and Gollop teams in the competition, and some schools refusing to play Blackman and Gollop. They are the defending champions.

Quality, as it should, always wins out in the end and Blackman and Gollop put face to that at the Netball Stadium yesterday.

The accolade of best primary school netballers in the island will be heading to the school irrespective of any further result this year, as both “A” and “B” teams have made it into the final of the Pine Hill Dairy-sponsored National Sports Council’s (NSC) Primary Schools Netball Tournament following yesterday’s semi-final matches.

Led by Sierra Deane-McCollin’s accurate shooting that garnered her 12 goals from 15 attempts, and the assistance of Nia Alleyne-Ward who scored six goals from 11 attempts, Blackman and Gollop “B” defeated Grantley Prescod 18-9 in a competitive match-up.

Though beaten Grantley Prescod were not disgraced but simply fell to a better opponent. Donnelle Trotman scored all nine goals for her school but had very little offensive assistance from her fellow goal-attacks and goal-shoots.

In the other semi-final, Blackman and Gollop “A” simply ‘girlhandled’ West Terrace by a margin of 26-5.  Danesha Davis scored 17 goals from 30 attempts, an indication of the heavy offensive pressure her team put on West Terrace, even if she would have preferred to improve on that shooting percentage.

Davis’ team-mate T’shanni Payne was not as prolific but was much more accurate as she sank nine goals from her ten attempts.

Blackman and Gollop A were also terrific in defence, limiting West Terrace to very few offensive opportunities, mainly through ball interceptions and savvy positional play. Roshea Williams had four goals from seven attempts and Azariah Coombs-Griffith, one from six for West Terrace.

Blackman and Gollop’s achievement today would have been particularly pleasing for the school as the teams have made the final despite the best efforts of some officials at the NSC, and some primary schools, to frustrate the efforts of the St David’s, Christ Church-located school during this year’s tournament.

Coach Calvin Briggs and his Blackman and Gollop charges have overcome the obstacles placed before them to make it into the primary schools netball final.

During the season the NSC had tried unsuccessfully to have Blackman and Gollop’s B team dropped out of the competition because of the presence of class 4 girls in the side. A number of schools took their cue from the NSC and also refused to play against the school. This led to a situation where the school’s A team went four weeks with only one game despite the tournament being in full swing.

The confusion reached such a height that interim chairman of the NSC, Jerry Blenman, was forced to issue an apology to Blackman and Gollop for what he called an “unfortunate misunderstanding”. Minister of Sport Stephen Lashley, stressing that children should not be frustrated and prevented from playing sports, also issued a directive that Blackman and Gollop had not broken any existing written rule of the NSC and that the children had to be allowed to take part in the competition without impediment.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY after his teams’ success, coach Calvin Briggs said it felt good but added he would only be able to savour it all when the final was played. He said his teams would then be able to move forward after all the controversy between them and the National Sports Council.

“I hope that it is now all over but I can’t smile just yet. I can’t feel good yet although the semi-finals have been played. I can’t smile yet until it’s all over,” Briggs said.

He added that there wasn’t much time for preparation for the finals but added both the A and B teams were obviously familiar with each others style of play and that even though many would favour the A team, the B squad were also good netballers.

Briggs added that should anything arise tomorrow at the Wildey Gymnasium where the final is scheduled for 1 p.m., he intended to walk with his whistle and become a referee if he had to because he expected many from Blackman and Gollop Primary to be at the Gymnasium to support the teams.

“Tomorrow, regardless of what the National Sports Council decides, as long as the management of the Gymnasium Limited allows me to, I will travel with my whistle and I will go from the role of coach to umpire, because half the school will be cheering for the A team while the other half will cheer for the B team,” said Briggs, who has won the title four times in the history of the competition.

As far as today’s semifinals were concerned he said the B team had a tough game against Grantley Prescod.

“They had a definite height advantage because of their goal-attack, but we applied pressure on the smaller players and that strategy worked pretty well in our favour.”

Where West Terrace was concerned he explained that they knew what to expect. “We knew that they would play a pretty fast paced team, so we ran them into the ground in the first quarter which was hectic and we knew we would have the stamina to outlast West Terrace.”

Blackman and Gollop won and lost, and won again, in the final of the Pine Hill Dairy-sponsored National Sports Council’s Primary Schools Netball Tournament this afternoon.

Playing at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, Blackman and Gollop A defeated Blackman and Gollop B 21-11 in an exciting match before a large, cheering crowd, and stamped their authority as the best primary school netballers in the island. Blackman and Gollop A were also the defending champions.

Blackman and Gollop A celebrate their victory with coach Calvin Briggs. Most Valuable Player of the tournament T’Shanni Payne is second left.

“I can now sleep tonight. It’s been a long dreary road but we finally made it here,’’ the school’s inspirational coach Calvin Briggs said after the game.

Those were the words of coach Calvin Briggs who breathe a sigh of relief after his team’s Blackman and Gollop A and B contested the finals of the Pinehill Dairy sponsored National Sports Council (NSC) Primary Schools Netball competition at the Wildey Gymnasium.

Goal attack T’Shanni Payne of the A team was named the Most Valuable Player after a thrilling shooting display that saw her netting 14 goals from 17 attempts.

The A team led the first three quarters 4-2, 10-5 and 15-9 as goal-shoot for the A side Danesha Davis contributed seven of 17.  Meanwhile for the B team, goal-attack Sierra Deane-McCollin demonstrated her shooting skills as she scored eight goals from nine attempts while goal-shoot Nia Alleyne-Ward sank three of eight. But they found the going tough against the A team who used their experience and was able to execute well.

That the two teams made the final was a testimony to the talent at the school and the training programme to which the girls are exposed.

Briggs told Barbados TODAY that after all the controversy which surrounded this year’s competition, the rules and the whole outlook on the sport of netball needed to be looked at seriously in Barbados.

“I hope the rules that are put in place [for next year] are put in such a way that it can uplift the entire development of the sport. I would like to see the administrators of the National Sports Council take a closer look at the rules in such a way that it seeks to develop the sports more and not necessarily put things in place that Blackman and Gollop don’t come first or second again or that another school doesn’t have two teams in the final,” said Briggs.

Briggs, a dominant coach in a sport usually commanded by females, is perhaps the most successful netball coach at the primary school level on the island. He led St Mary’s Primary to the trophy in 2007, 2008 and 2010 and continued at Blackman and Gollop by doing the double in 2014 and now this year after being at the school for the past four years.

Briggs expressed reservations about the lowering of poles to accommodate primary school shooters, as well as the fact that two ten-minute halves of the competition have now been split into two five minute halves.

‘’We have some children here in primary school who are bordering on six feet and to have them shooting in an eight foot pole, they are adjusting their shooting technique to shoot at a lower pole. Then when they make the transition to secondary school or even the adult level it’s a two-foot difference in height and then it’s hard for them to make the transition. Children who pride themselves on being goal-shooters at primary school, they go to secondary school and are asked to play a totally different role because the pole is so far up there now.

“Even if it’s not the full ten feet, [it should be] at least one foot more [than eight]. This was in place before and the scores were low, so the administrators at the Sports Council decided that it would be best to lower the height of the poles but that was the wrong move. The correct move should have been to put more emphasis on the shooters and get them to score in those ten foot poles,’’ Briggs said.

He explained that when he coached at St Mary’s Primary they played for two ten-minute halves for the regular games and would score 35 goals. But the Sports Council in an attempt to stamp out what he referred to as lop-sided games, has now reduced playing time to two five-minute halves.

He charged that administrators were doing everything to hide flaws and very little to remedy them. He added he hoped to see that change.

Commenting on the final, Briggs said that despite the B team’s loss they were made up of very good players who gelled well together and should do well come next year.

West Terrace came third when they came from behind to win 10-8 over Grantley Prescod in a closely contested game which went 3-1, 4-3 to Grantley Prescod before West Terrace turned things around in the penultimate quarter 7-4.

Among the prizes awarded this afternoon Blackman and Gollop won the team’s shooting competition while Wilkie Cumberbatch and Vauxhall came second and third respectively. Blackman and Gollop also claimed two individual awards with best goal-defence in Kimani Archer and goalkeeper in Xaria Knight.

A special scholarship worth $500 was won by Deasha Chase of Belmont Primary who will be attending Deighton Griffith Secondary in September. According to netball stalwart Kathy Harper-Hall, who is the person behind the idea, the award will go to a young netballer who will continue to play and develop herself in the sport even when she leaves primary school.

Other individual prizes went to West Terrace wing-attack Adonnia Phillips and their goal-defence Rhasian Hunte. Deshonte Benskin of Chalky Mount was named top goal-shoot. Rebecca Simpson of Wilkie Cumberbatch won the individual shooting competition while her teammate Toriann Newton was second and Emily Odwin of St Winifred’s School third. St Ambrose Primary was named most improved team of the competition.

St Ambrose Primary have been lauded by the National Sports Council (NSC) as the most improved school at this year’s Pine Hill Dairy Netball Championship and physical education teacher Ken Springer is a happy man.

Springer said much of St Ambrose’s success at this year’s netball competition had to do with former NSC netball coach Sonia Knight who recently passed away. He said Knight worked hard with the team which hadn’t done well in a long time and this year they really stepped up and improved significantly. The team played six games in total and won four while losing two.

 “That was the best record we have had over the past four years. We can definitely credit our success to the now deceased National Sports Council coach Miss Knight who worked really hard with the girls,” said Springer.

Goal-shooter Tiara Graham, goal-attack Rakera Williams and goal-defence Rackele Hyde are among those that Knight worked with and helped to improve their netball skills, Springer said.

St Ambrose, which is located on Cypress Street in the City, has produced the likes of long distance runner Pius Emilien and there is another track star in the making in seven-year-old Keiron Haynes.

Some of St Ambrose’s players out of sports wear.

The school has had a relatively good year in sports and among those excelling was Haynes who captured both the under-nine boys’ division championship and victor ludorum titles in the Obadele Thompson zone of the National Primary Schools Athletics Championship.

 Kiara Gamble is another young cyclist who has done well for the school in the annual NSC cycling competition when she placed second and third in the 5000m and 1000m respectively.

 Springer said many of the girls would be attending the NSC summer camp specifically for netball.

 “I am hoping that their skills can improve even more over the summer and hopefully we can get another good coach to succeed Knight and have a good chance at winning come next year,” Springer added.

 He said there were certain parameters that had hindered the school’s progress in sports and not having a playing field was one.

“We do not have a playing field and our access to a court is at the London Bourne towers and sometimes that is not conducive to playing with glass bottles all over the court. So it is very difficult for us to get in the adequate training sessions that the children will need and that do set us back.

“But going forward we are hoping to get more equipment that we can use on site and we do hope that the community will assist and keep the areas like London Bourne clean,” the physical education teacher said as the school seeks to reap more success.

If David can take down Goliath, so too can the senior Barbados netball team which has been placed in pool A with big guns Australia and New Zealand at the 2015 Netball World Cup scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia, next month.

Barbados head coach Anna Shepherd is of the view that the ultra-marine, gold and black can be represented well if the team remains focused

Barbados head coach Anna Shepherd

“The girls have been working with the guys really hard, twice a day and having done the best that we could with our preparation it is just for them to remain focused and anything is possible,” she told Barbados TODAY.

Shepherd noted that preparation for the August 7 to 16 World Cup had not been ideal but under the circumstances they had done the best that they could. “We would have loved some more warm-up games and even go in earlier to get some practice games but financial constraints did not allow that,” Shepherd said.

Sixteen nations will contest the 2015 World Cup that occurs every four years and Barbados are in a tough pool with the world’s number one and hosts Australia, the number two ranked New Zealand and fellow Caribbean territory Trinidad and Tobago.

Many are of the view that the Trident ladies will need a miracle to actually get past two of the best teams in world netball and even though the odds may be against them, Shepherd does not believe that the task ahead is impossible.

“We have been looking back at previous games we played at the Commonwealth Games and the girls have been watching and realizing that it is not impossible for us to take them down [Australia and New Zealand]. David took down Goliath and we went to church on Sunday morning and that was the preacher’s message. He spoke about challenges and used David and Goliath as an example and I am not sure if he chose it because we were there but it was very fitting for us,” the experienced coach noted.

Even if Barbados ladies do not win one of the most prestigious titles in world netball, Shepherd is hoping they can at least improve on their ranking from ninth position to somewhere in the top five. One positive the Bajan girls can take with them into the World Cup is the fact that Trinidad and Tobago are ranked one place below them in tenth position.

Shepherd told Barbados TODAY that the defence has proven to be the strongest aspect of Barbados’ game, especially during practice and they would be seeking to use that to their advantage.

“There is a big rivalry going on between the attack and the defence at practice and the defence urges the attack to come at us and beat us. But how the game is made up, everybody has to attack, everybody has to defend and all a coach can ask is that everybody gives of her best.

“Our aim is to play quarter by quarter. We are not looking at the whole game, we will look at the whole game at the end. So our aim is to win as many quarters as possible,” explained Shepherd, who also pointed out that her girls were talented and if everybody gave of her best they could come out victorious.

 There have been 14 previous World Cups and this will mark Barbados eighth appearance at the games. They finished second behind Trinidad and Tobago at the 2014 Americas qualifying tournament.

Sandra Bruce has been named assistant to Shepherd while the squad which departs on Monday for Sydney, will be led by captain Rhe-Ann Niles with Latonia Blackman as her second-in-command. Other members include the experienced Shonette Azore-Bruce, Shanice Rock, Kizzy Marville, Samantha Browne, Sabreena Smith, Cherise Seale, Shonica Wharton, Faye Sealy, Nikita Piggott and Sheniqua Thomas.

SYDNEY –– New Zealand opened their Netball World Cup 2015 campaign with a dominant display in Sydney running out 73-28 winners against Barbados last night.

Six players made their Netball World Cup debut for the Silver Ferns, including Grace Rasmussen who earned her midcourt spot with her quick feet and agility carrying the ball through to the circle.

Shonette Bruce (right) and Rhe-Ann Niles (centre) try to defend the Silver Ferns’ goal-shoot Bailey Mes.

Bailey Mes helped the Silver Ferns to a flying start in the first quarter, dominating the attacking end in her first World Cup appearance.

While Barbados had to deal with experienced campaigners Kopua and Katrina Grant in defence, goal shooter Shannon Wharton –– one of the youngest in this year’s competition at 19 years  –– was impressive in her debut game. With a strong unit across the court, the Ferns took a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

No changes were made at the first break with Barbados starting the second quarter with added intensity. The Silver Ferns again proved too strong with goal attack Maria Tutaia proving unstoppable under the post. With unforced errors creeping into Barbados’ game, New Zealand took a 36-13 lead into half-time.

New Zealand coach, Waimarama Taumaunu made wholesale changes at half time including the injection of veteran Leana de Bruin. Taking the court, de Bruin joined an illustrious group of athletes to play in five World Cups. The Ferns also brought Malia Paseka into the match for her World Cup debut, taking over as shooter from Mes.

Wharton continued her strong shooting game for Barbados with a 100 per cent success rate before a collision in the goal circle meant she was replaced by Nikita Piggott. New Zealand took a comfortable 53-25 lead into the final change.

The final quarter saw Paseka insert herself into the game, dominating the circle, and helping New Zealand run out 73-28 victors. Wharton had 14 goals from 16 attempts; Piggott had six from six; Faye Sealy netted four goals from five attempts and Sheniqua Thomas had four from six attempts. For New Zealand Paseka had 28 goals from 38 attempts; Mes netted 24 goals from 31 attempts and Maria Rutala had 12 goals from 15 attempts.

Tomorrow Barbados will clash with Australia in front of a parochial crowd at Allphones Arena on Day 2.This match will be only the fourth Netball World Cup meet between the two countries, with Barbardos yet to defeat Australia in their three previous Netball World Cup meetings.

Head to head, Australia have won all of the ten previous meetings with Barbados, and will be looking to add another win to their tally. The Australian Netball Diamonds were slow to start in their first opening match against Trinidad & Tobago, with a number of unforced turnovers early but they settled quickly with Sharni Layton making her presence felt in defence, picking up four intercepts and six deflections while 22-year old Kim Ravillion finished with an almost faultless performance in centre. With the entire squad hitting the court in the opener and fierce competition for positions, Australia will be tough to beat in this tournament.

For the ninth-ranked Barbados, this will be yet another opportunity to test themselves against the World’s top nations after taking on New Zealand on Day One. Barbados will be hoping Wharton will be available for the match after she left the court with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Wharton was the focal point for the Gems’ shooting circle and they struggled to find a clean passage to goal in her absence.

SYDNEY, Australia  –– Trinidad & Tobago won the clash of the Caribbean on Day Three with the world number 10 side overcoming the ninth ranked Barbados at Allphones Arena in Sydney yesterday.

Trinidad and Tobago Calypso Girls defeated the Bajan Gems twice in their previous three encounters in World Cup history and managed to extend their lead in head-to-head battles with their rivals by one more, prevailing 55-39.

Barbados started positively against Trinidad and Tobago but went to pieces in the final quarter. At right is Barbados’ captain Rhe-Ann Niles and Shonette Bruce (third right).

Allphones Arena was treated to a feast of Caribbean style netball with physical challenges, clashes, deflections, and interceptions. The match-up between Calypso Girls’ shooter Samantha Wallace and the Bajan Gems’ goal keeper Shonette Bruce was crucial as Barbados were able to capitalise on errors from Trinidad & Tobago to lead 13-10 at quarter time despite two stunning intercepts from Trinidad & Tobago’s Onella Jack.

Both teams were unchanged heading into the second quarter as the Bajan Gems’ goal shooter Shonica Wharton proved an essential target for Barbados in the goal circle.

Trinidad & Tobago’s shooter Wallace steadied as her side levelled the score early in the quarter and from there it was a goal for goal battle as neither side could establish dominance with the half-time score 23-21 in the Calypso Girls’ favour.

Barbados’ Sheniqua Thomas was introduced into goal attack at the start of the second half as the Calypso Girls established a break of seven goals early in the quarter with goal attack Joelisa Cooper making her presence felt, but pressure from Barbados meant the margin was reduced to five with Trinidad and Tobago leading 38-33 at three quarter time.

The Bajan Gem’s Faye Sealy was substituted on for injured Wharton late in the final term but the Calypso Girls’ were able to punish Barbados for errors, converting on the scoreboard and winning the fourth quarter 17-6 to run out 55-39 winners.

SYDNEY, Australia –– Make it 5-0 for the struggling Bajan Gems.

Tensions were high and game faces were on in the clash between Fiji and Barbados on Day 6 of the Netball World Cup with the focused Fijian side proving too strong coming away with a 48-37 win today.

Barbados’ Nikita Piggott (left) tussling with Fiji’s Episake Kahatoka for ball possession.

From the outset it was clear that Fiji’s goal shooter, Taraima Mitchell (35/40) and goal attack Unouna Afa Rusivakula (13/19) were on a mission, working off one another in and outside the circle, pushing their team to an early four point lead.

Lack of communication on court at times from the Barbados team gave the Fijian opportunities to grab momentum. However failing to punish Barbados, the scores were locked at quarter time at 10-all.

As the second quarter progressed both teams settled into a rhythm with Barbados taking an early lead. The Fijians were up to the challenge however, and fought back, bringing the match-up back level at 15-all within minutes. It was a case of deja vu for Barbados as late turnovers helped Fiji take the lead into the half-time break by four goals, 23-19.

At the main change, Fiji brought Maria Lutua into wing attack, moving Alesi Waqa to centre, with Barbados bringing Shonette Bruce into goal keeper. The fresh legs of Lutua helped Fiji extend their lead to four at third quarter time as Barbados looked to regroup quickly in an injury timeout with nine minutes to go.

Unforced errors from Barbados continued to help Fiji, extending their run to 32-31 with five minutes to go. A substitution for Shonica Wharton saw Piggott back on the court and she quickly made her mark. Fiji remained strong and determined to take the game as they finished the quarter strong, taking a 37-22 lead.

At the final change, Barbados made one change bringing Faye Sealy on for Piggott with the change doing little to stop the Fijians run. A late quarter fight-back reduced the margin but the Fijians were able to run out comfortable winners, 48-37.

Sealy had 12 goals from 15 attempts, Piggott had 9 from 12, Wharton netted 12 from 16 attempts and Sheniqua Thomas had four goals from eight attempts. (INF)

Barbados finally registered a victory at the 2015 Netball World Cup in Australia today.

After five consecutive defeats, Barbados outclassed Sri Lanka 67-33 at the Allphones Arena in Sydney during action on Day 7 of the tournament.

Shonette Bruce defends against Sri Lanka’s Hasitha Mendis.

Both nations entered the match without a win. Four-quarter consistency has been a deciding factor in each of their campaigns, and today’s encounter gave the two teams a chance to atone.

Some early nerves saw some inaccurate shooting in front of goal. The Barbados defence soon clicked into gear and helped execute thanks to strong rebounding.

Barbados’s 17-year-old goal attack Sheniqua Thomas had great energy around the circle and combined well with goal shooter Faye Sealy. Shonette Bruce was strong in defence for the Bajan Gems, pulling in two rebounds for the quarter whilst also doing a great job in covering Sri Lanka’s Thishala Algama.

Sri Lanka failed to shut down the Barbados long balls, losing the battle in midcourt. Algama played a key role in attack, scoring 10 goals for the quarter while captain Seminin Alwis provided a crucial goal assistance role for Algama feeding in from the circle. Gayani Dissanayke also picked up some crucial rebounds to keep Sri Lanka in touch.  However the Bajan Gems remained on top, and went to the first break with an 18-12 lead.

In the second quarter Latonia Blackman continued to provide excellent service in midcourt, gifting plenty of chances to the circle pairing of Thomas and Sealy. The combination was working well for Barbados, nailing six consecutive goals. The Bajan Gems long ball tactic continued to trouble Sri Lanka, with their defence caught napping. Sealy capitalised on this with five straight goals, pushing the Barbados lead out to 17 goals. At half time Barbados were comfortably in front 37-17.

Nikita Piggot replaced Thomas for the third quarter and was sharp in front of goal; executing six goals from six attempts in the quarter. Algama returned to the goal shooter role for Sri Lanka and was again the main target in attack. However Bajan Gem Rhe-Ann Niles was limiting her chances with some great intercepts. Barbados soon pushed the margin out to 29, as Sealy netted her 30th goal for the match. At three-quarter time, Barbados led 54-25.

The Bajan Gem defence continued to shine in the final term, with Niles and Bruce combining for nine deflections. Hasitha Mendis starred for Sri Lanka in the quarter, scoring all eight goals. Barbados eventually running out 67-33 winners.

Bajan Gem Faye Sealy top scored for the match and was happy that her teammates were able to get their first win today.

“I think we all fought right to the end and it was a very good performance from everyone on court. We all really wanted this win and we got it.”

 Sealy said the performance of young teammate Thomas was pleasing, saying she was a welcome addition to the team.

“She really brought her game today and we are very proud of her. She’s pretty well behaved for the most part. She’s very fun to be around; she is a great teammate.”

Sealy believed that while Barbados had recorded few wins at the World Cup, there were positives to take away.

 “It’s been a good tournament, of course we had some losses that we didn’t really expect or want but we are picking ourselves up and hopefully we will win the rest of our games.”

Unity Ballers, Rapid Response and Bryden Stokes all registered wins when action continued last night in the ongoing Barbados Workers Union League Series played at the Netball Stadium.

Unity Ballers goal-attack Jalisa Greenidge makes a good catch as goal-defence Dei Padmore and wing-defence Sancaia Crichlow of Smith’s Academy challenge.

Stokes won 35-20 over Rapid Response, Rapid Response however redeemed themselves with a 23-12 victory over Orange Spurs, while Unity Ballers defeated Smith’s Academy 28-15.

In the first encounter Bryden Stokes goal-shooter Mia Butcher had an almost perfect night scoring 21 goals from 22 attempts. Beverley Grant, a substitute goal-shooter, contributed nine goals and goal-attack Tracey Payne added five to the effort.

Young Springer Memorial athlete Julia Jones-Smith put in a decent effort with 14 goals from 23 attempts for Rapid Response along with substitute goal-shooter Shaniya Moore who contributed six goals.

Rapid Response did well to win their second game thanks to goal attack Shakira Thompson who had 12 goals from 14 attempts while goal-shooter Linda Waldrond netted 11 from her 14 attempts.

The scores were locked 3-3 in the opening quarter as Orange Spurs tried to keep up with Rapid Response who took the lead in the second quarter. Shanece Maynard with five, Maria Williams, three and Rhonda Norville, four, were the main contributors.

Unity Ballers held the advantage over Smith’s Academy throughout the game and their goal-shooter Ronisha Haynes scored 22 of her team’s 28 goals from 42 attempts.

No one from Smith’s Academy reached double figures.

Barbados Defence Force Kevlar suffered a 22-18 loss against the visiting London Lion Hearts team from England when the Barbados Workers Union League Series continued last night at the Netball Stadium.

Lion Hearts had the advantage 8-2, 13-6 and 16-14 after three quarters by which time the BDF ladies did well to cut the deficit to a mere two goals.

Barbados Defence Force Kevlar’s goal-attack Lioan Harewood (with ball) does well to hold on to a bounce pass that got past wing-defence Tosin Yusuf and goal-defence Josie Afolabi.

Goal-attack Judith Charles of Lions Heart top scored with 14 goals from 21 attempts while goal-shooter Dee Horst contributed eight. Nothing can be taken away from BDF who did pretty well in the circle especially goal-shooter Carla Boyce who came close to a perfect score with ten from 12. Goal-attack Lioan Harewood netted seven goals from 11 attempts and substitute goal-shooter Shareece Ward assisted with one goal.

Goal-defender Josie Afolabi and wing-defender Tosin Yusuf of Lion Hearts did well for the visitors who had the majority of ball possession with 36 attempts compared to BDF ‘s 25.

In other matches played Chickmont Ballers featured twice on the night when they came up against Unity Ballers and Bryden Stokes respectively.

They were beaten 29-22 by Unity Ballers with scores at the quarter breaks being 6-6, 16-10, 22-19 in favour of the winners. Goal-shooter Roneisha Haynes tallied 25 of those goals for Unity Ballers while goal-attack Alicia Gibson claimed the remaining four. Chickmont goal-shooter did well for her 18 from 22 and goal-attack Kim Cox assisted with four.

Unity Ballers goal-shooter Roniesha Haynes with arms outstretched had a relatively good game.

Chickmont redeemed themselves with a 35-24 victory over Bryden Stokes who led the first two quarters 7-3, 14-13 but Chickmont did well to bring themselves back into it in the third phase with a score line of 21-18.

Goal-attack Cassandra Brathwaite and goal-shooter Nicole Graham had a good game with 19 and 16 goals respectively.

Bryden Stokes goal-shooter Claudette Johnson and goal-attack Margaret Spooner tallied 12 each.

Rapid Response also played two games yesterday and were also on the losing end. Against Shottas United they went down 28-17 and Action Ballers also took a liking to them and trounced them 30-17.

Shottas United goal-shooter Khadijah Alleyne does well to pull back this ball into play. (Pictures by Morissa Lindsay).

Goal-shooters Khadija Alleyne with 11 and Shanika Patterson eight along with goal-attack Kelly Harewood nine allowed Shottas to come out on top and took the first three quarters at 7-5, 14-8 and 21-12.

None of Rapid Response players reached double figures with the highest score being nine from goal-attack Julisa Jones-Smith.

Meanwhile in the other game Action Ballers had Rapid Response 6-5, 15-8 and 24-13 thanks to goal-shooter Alicia Adams who accounted for 23 of her team’s 30 goals. Goal-attack Latoya Williams scored the other goals.

Rapid Response goal-shooter Linda Walrond netted 11 off 16 and goal-attack Shakira Thompson six from 15.

The series will continue tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Netball Stadium.

Goal-shooter Nikita Davis led from the front with 18 goals for Parkinson Memorial who won 24-19 against Queen’s College this afternoon during the preliminary round of the Under-19 Barbados Secondary Schools Netball League Competition.

Home court advantage at Husbands, St James did not make much of a difference to Queen’s College who tied the first quarter at 4-4 but allowed the visitors with some great passing in the middle to take the advantage in the second and third quarters at 10-6 and 15-12.

Parkinson goal-shooter Nikita Davis top scored with 18 goals and often danced around Queen’s College defence, including their goal-defender Amanda Knight. (Pictures by Morissa Lindsay)

Parkinson goal-attack Kennisha Prescod contributed six goals from nine attempts while for Queen’s College Janine Forde had a top score of eight goals from 15 attempts. Goal-shooters Kaelyn Shockness had two from six and Brittney Small five from 14 attempts.

Davis scored four goals in each of the first three periods and then added six more in the fourth to make life difficult for Queen’s College’s defence. The lanky shooter made it look so easy in the circle on a number of occasions by simply reaching over the opponents’ heads for the ball.

Queen’s College goal-attack Brittney Small (third left) and goal-shooter Kaelyn Shockness tried to prevent Parkinson from reaching the ball.

Queen’s College goal-defender Amanda Knight came up against Davis but could not handle her reach and that along with the fact that Parkinson’s wing-attack Shamaya Headley and center Keishana Kippins executed well in the middle ensured the girls from the Pine had more than 55 per cent of ball possession.

Kimani Archer who graduated this year from the successful Blackman and Gollop Primary School netball team tried in the middle while Small and Shockness put in a decent effort but were unable to connect on many occasions with the basket. To make matters worse Queen’s College often fell down with errant passes and afforded Parkinson the opportunity to capitalize and take the game by a five-point margin.

Meanwhile Christ Church Foundation won at home 22-15 against Springer Memorial.

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