Young Sunshine Girls name U21 team to face South Africa

NETBALL JAMAICA has released the names of the under-21 Sunshine Girls squad that will face their South African counterparts, the SPAR Baby Proteas, as part of the Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series starting Saturday at the National Indoor Sports Centre.

The under-21s will be led by captain Roxonna McLean.

Annett Daley, head coach of the U21s, welcomes the series, citing a shortage of competitive netball for the youngsters.

“This series is a welcome one for the under-21 team. The girls have not been playing in any form of competition since they went to Guadeloupe for the qualifiers, and there were some members of the Guadeloupe team that have stopped playing. So right now, it’s about just putting the teams together based on those who were there before and the new members coming into the squad. It is also about exposing the girls to the different styles of play.

“For these particular under-21s, I call them the COVID babies or the COVID team, because they ended up in a time frame where even for under-16, they didn’t get any under-16 competition because it was during COVID, and their high school and also college experiences were interrupted because of COVID. So the level of competition that we would want them to have experienced prior to that, they do not have. But the amazing thing is that our local coaches have done a wonderful job with these young ladies, especially in the high schools, and as a result, we have an abundance of talent,” explained Daley.

“So my task right now is just to work with the other coaches to ensure that these girls are understanding the game, and this particular series will give us a benchmark from which to work so that we are ready for the world championship” said Daley.

The under-21 games will be played as part of double headers over the course of three match days.

The under-21s will play at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, following which the Sunshine Girls take to the court against the SPAR Proteas at 6:00.

Competition continues on Wednesday, January 22, with the under-21s opening at 3:30 p.m. before the seniors compete at 7:00.

On January 25, the seniors tip off at 6:00 p.m., and the under-21s precede them at 3:00.

U21 Sunshine Girls squad

Defence

Roxonna McClean,Tiana Reid, Crystal Nicholson, Fentonian Henry, Evelyn Smith

Centre Court

Jessica Champlain, Shaqwan, Hamilton, Deandra Edwards, De-Eziah Martin, Mikeala Walker

Shooting

Kelliann Hunter, Leneice Williams, Nickiesha Powell, Kaydeen Gordon, Jada Ricketts