1 year ago
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JAMAICA’S SUNSHINE Girls are excited to get back to international netball, says head coach Sasher-Gaye Henry, after the announcement of a bilateral series against England.
“We have not had any international series, so we are quite excited (as) all the other top teams have been doing it. It will definitely give us a boost to see where we are at and just to show our capabilities and where we stand in terms of our preparation. It will do a lot for us, getting back into international preparation and boosting our confidence and ability; just looking at where we will go for the next four years,” said Henry.
The Vitality Netball Horizon Series is set to kick off this autumn with two games in Jamaica and two in England.
The inaugural competition will see England’s Vitality Roses hosting the Sunshine Girls for the first two matches of the series at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, on November 16 and 17.
The second leg for the series will be staged in Jamaica at the National Indoor Sports Centre on November 25 and 26.
This international series will take on the same format over the next four years.
Henry said the team will be making special efforts to capitalise on these series going forward. This includes getting more local players in the English professional league.
“It’s good for us that these players can get recommendations to get international mileage and contracts overseas,” she said.
She also said the recently concluded Elite League has helped the team prepare for the upcoming series against England.
“The Elite League worked as a part of the preparation and selection process. It is good that we had it so that we can see girls and look at some new talent,” she said.
Still, the local league has not yet reached its full potential and it will need to further improve to prepare locally based girls for international competitions, according to Henry.
“If we can get people to come on board and pump more money so that we can do more for the league, it would be better for our girls,” said Henry.
The two sides last met in 2023 in a three-match test series played in Manchester and London where the Vitality Roses defeated Jamaica 73-52 in the first match, had a narrow 58-61 loss in the second match, and claimed the series with a 63-59 win in the third.
Although both teams participated in the Netball World Cup last summer, the teams did not meet in the draw. The competition ended with Jamaica claiming bronze and England taking home the silver medal.
To improve on their international performance and ranking, Henry said series like these were needed.
This new series is hoped to be a catalyst for more international series as coach Henry said she was confident this will open doors.
“Once we start competing at this level all the top teams would want to compete with us. This will definitely bring other teams on board,” she said. “There’s already preparation because we already have South Africa too that is already announced as a series that will be played in January.”
English (US) ·