Netballers impress in Antigua

The Cayman Islands national netball team participated in a ranking tournament in Antigua and returned heartened by winning four games against some of the strongest teams in the Caribbean.

The delegation was led by president Lucille Seymour, head coach Lyneth Monteith, manager Ida Ebanks and assistant manager Adena Miller. The 12 players made the long journey to the Eastern Caribbean, from September 28 to October 8.

The squad had a mixture of experience and youth, including three under-21 players who are studying at university. Cayman improved tremendously, played well, and never looked overmatched. They played a total of eight games.  

The Cayman women were entirely focused on winning in Antigua in tough conditions, sometimes hot or after heavy rain. Their determination produced four wins. They almost beat Dominica, losing by one point. Cayman’s first game was a heavy defeat of Montserrat, 82-11. Their other wins were against hosts Antigua and Barbuda (47-43), St Kitts & Nevis (53-45) and St Lucia (44-32). Cayman lost to Dominica (55-54), St Vincent and the Grenadines (60-42), Grenada (57-41) and powerhouses Barbados (63-24).

When the decision was taken to enter the tournament, the squad had no major sponsor. The Ministry of Sport does give a grant for the advancement of netball. Seymour said: “Still, we felt we were not asking them as our under-21 qualifiers are coming up next year in Guadalupe, which will be directed to the sports ministry for assistance.

“So, we agreed to beg big guns who had an association with the team or the sport; we felt this was our time to win and make our Islands proud, and we did. Letters were sent to sponsors who it was thought would readily support the venture.

“Cayman would not have been able to participate if we had not employed this strategy.

The responsibility of raising funds was distributed amongst the squad and the management of CINA.”

Seymour is extremely grateful for the support they received. She added: “There is no way that Team Cayman would have experienced this success and the country so excited if others didn’t support the team. That is why we were determined to win for those who promised and kept their promise.

“What was inspiring on the court was seeing the ladies relate to each other; they could forecast the win, and they played their little hearts out. On the courts, three captains took the role of leading the players with dedication and poise. Thank you, Captain Katherine and Vice Captains Aryana Grant and Rose Marie Wilson.”