Netball shooters compete at Pauline Bodden shooting competition

By Christopher Tobutt

It was a night full of fun and skill and prizes as the eight teams in the Cayman Netball Association got all ready for the official league with a shooting competition, and a rally. All Stars A won the rally in Division A, with Rising Stars second, Roma third, and Sky Angels fourth. Elite won in Division B, with Rising Stars coming second, Roma third, and All Stars B fourth.

The Pauline Bodden Shooting competition, named after one of Cayman’s best-loved netball players who used to be a Cayman Islands National Team player, showcases the skills of each team’s shooters by seeing how many hoops each shooter can get in just two minutes. They have to shoot from little cones, used as markers, all around the shooting circle so that the technique of shooting from different angles to the hoop is put to the test. Nicole Pringle from the Elite Netball Team received the prize for the best shooter, from Pauline Bodden’s daughter, Trisha Dilbert.

Melisa Rankine loves playing with her team, Rising Stars B. “Tonight we started off with the shooting competition in memory of Miss Pauline. It shows the skills of each of the shooters in the teams. We have eight teams so its for the shooters of each team to show their shooting skills. I like the rally because It’s the first time we are actually on the court playing together as a team because the season is fresh so it’s a new start and a new feel so we are just getting to know each other”

Emily is new to Cayman and because she loved playing netball before she came, she decided she would look around for a team to join. “I reached out on social media and luckily got a place with the All Stars which is something I am very grateful for,” she said. “I just try and mark the shooters. it’s a nice, different evening everyone comes together, it’s a great community,” she said.

At the end of the rally, prizes were given out. Nicole Pringle of Elite received Best Shooter prize, and representatives from the winning teams in Division A and Division B came to receive a cash prize, but each of the teams got cash prizes too, for participation. Prizes were also awarded to the winning teams of the Mixed League tournament which had taken place in December 2021. Alex Thompson won Most Valued Player award in the Mixed League.