Cayman’s netballers take on Canada

The Cayman Islands national netball team has arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, where they will play a series of three games against their Canadian counterparts from 25-27 October, 2018.

Ahead of the trip, team members told CaymanSportsBuzz.com that spirits were high and they were optimistic of a competitive series. Cayman were swept by Canada in their last three-game series played in Grand Cayman in July 2017.

Now, after a year of solid training, the players are eager to put in a strong showing and display that they are better than their last outing against the Canadians, who are ranked 24th in the world.

National netballers put in the work during a training session ahead of their trip to Canada.

Defensive player Markita Williams said she wants to see effort on the court to achieve their goal. “At least to win one game or we play our best to win. That’s what we’re going there for. Hopefully, we win a game or two,” she said as she took a break from a recent training session.

Midcourt specialist Lucy McLaughlin agrees that the team needs to make the most of the opportunity against Canada. “The plan is to win and move up in the rankings…to come hard every game and fight for the ball – come with a purpose,” she said.

The team has been training as a unit for the past year, and Cayman Islands Netball Association officials say they want to use the trip as a gauge to see how Cayman stacks up internationally, as they make a bid to re-establish themselves in the world rankings.

Goal Shoot Stacy Ann-Kelly, who did not play against Canada last year, said the players need to maintain their focus in order to be successful. “I took the time to watch the games from the last tri-series. This is a better team [with] better shooters, a strong mid-court and good defensive people. I think once we stay focused and be patient, I think we can give Canada a run for their money,” she told CaymanSportsBuzz.com.

The players representing the Cayman Islands are: Merary Eden, Mya Dunkley, Nicola Pringle, Kay Copeland, Kayon Clarke, Vioris Wright, Rosemarie Wilson, Stacy-Ann Kelly, Lucy McLaughlin, Markita Williams, Bethany Cook, and Nikesha Lynch.

 

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