1 month ago
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IN A bid to fine-tune preparations ahead of their four-match Test series against the England’s Vitality Roses, Jamaica’s senior Sunshine Girls were locked in an intense training session against the Jamaica Suns (Men’s Netball team) on Friday night at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
Sasher-Gaye Henry, head coach of the Sunshine Girls, said that while the series is expected to be challenging, the team will be aiming to match England stride for stride.
“It will be a tough one, against the number-three ranked team in the world, but we’re expected to compete at the highest level. We’ll see how well the girls work together and see how the different combinations work. We’re expecting great things from this series as we want to prove our skills,” she said.
The teams will play the first two fixtures (November 16 and 17) at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, before returning to the National Indoor Sports Centre in Jamaica for a November 25 and 26 tie.
The Sunshine Girls, ranked fourth in the world, will be looking for a change of fortune as the last time both teams met in a series, England walked away with a 2-1 victory. Henry said that with little over a month to go before tip-off, she’s happy with where the team is at.
“The preparation phase has gone well as we’ve done a lot in terms of our strength and conditioning. For our skill development, we have achieved the goal that we initially set out,” she added.
Rob Wright, the team’s defensive specialist, said there were still minor tweaks left to be made before the series starts.
“I think the quality of our entire team is really exciting; however, there’s lots of work to be done. Hopefully, between now and the England series will give us the time to make sure we get everything sorted,” said Wright.
Jamaica’s 12-member squad will include the likes of Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Shanice Beckford, Mischa Creary, Rhea Dixon, Abigaile Sutherland, Khadija Williams, Crystal Williams, Theresa Beckford, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Latanya Wilson, and Jody-Ann Ward.
According to Wright this squad has “world class” written all over it.
“I really like what I’ve seen so far. My philosophy has always been around trying to build on the things that we do really well. We’ve got world-class players on the court and I believe we can make some gains around that,” he said.
English (US) ·