Trinidad & Tobago’s Calypso Girls defeated the Barbados Gems 50-40 in a top-of-the-table clash on day five of the Netball Americas World Cup Qualifiers at the national Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston on Thursday.
Entering the game, the Calypso Girls had already booked their spot in next year’s World Cup on the back of a perfect record after six games while the Gems were also unbeaten after five games and would’ve sealed their trip to Cape Town next year with a win.
The end of the first quarter saw Trinidad & Tobago build a 12-7 lead before Barbados outscored them 14-10 in the second to trail 21-22 at half-time. T&T then outscored them by four in the third quarter to lead 35-30 before eventually winning 50-40.
T&T was led by goal shooter Afeisha Noel’s 33 goals from 35 attempts while goal attack Joelisa Cooper had 17 goals from 21 attempts. Bajan goal shooters Faye Agard and Shonica Wharton had 14 goals from 16 attempts and 15 goals from 20 attempts, respectively.
“I am ecstatic about that performance. I think we went out there and executed exactly what the coach wanted and I can’t ask for anything else from the girls,” said Trinidad & Tobago captain Shaquanda Greene-Noel.
Barbados captain Shonette Azore-Bruce praised her team’s fighting spirit despite the result not going their way.
“It’s not the outcome that we wanted but I must say that I am proud of my girls for fighting to the end. We did not score the goals we should have but I’m still proud of my girls for fighting. At least we had that fight in us.”
The Gems will have another chance to confirm their spot at the World Cup when they take on Antigua and Barbuda on Saturday’s seventh and final day.
Other Thursday results saw Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls get by St. Lucia 85-30, St. Vincent beat Antigua & Barbuda 66-30 and the USA getting a 44-35 win over the Cayman Islands.
On Friday, Antigua and Barbuda will play St. Lucia, the USA will battle Grenada, Jamaica will play Barbados and St. Vincent & the Grenadines will play the Cayman Islands.
Bajan triathletes produce credible showing at World Development Regional Cup
A six-member Barbados team were left basking in their credible performance at the recently competed 2024 World Triathlon Development Regional Cup in Puerto Rico.
The squad comprised of Zahra Gaskin, Isis Gaskin, Luke McIntyre, Alexis Lashley, Ali Banfield and Laila McIntyre, won one event and also had several other podium finishes.
Laila McIntyre placed first in the girls’ 12-13 super sprint, and also finished second overall in the girls’ 12-15 super sprint. Banfield was right behind her, finishing second in the girls’ 12-13 super sprint, while also placing fifth overall in the girls’ 12-15 super sprint.
Meanwhile, Lashley finished third in the girls’ 14-15 super sprint and fourth overall in the girls’ 12-15 super sprint.
Zahra Gaskin was also impressive, as she registered a third-place finish in the sprint elite females, and second in the female 20+ category, while Isis Gaskin was fourth overall in the sprint elite females, and second in the female 18 to 19 category.
Luke McIntyre, the team's lone male representative, competed in his first Junior Men’s Elite Race where he placed a commendable 11th.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard leads West Coast Fever to dominant 81-56 win over Sunshine Coast Lightning: Samantha Wallace powers Swifts to victory over Mavericks
In a spectacular display of dominance, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 63 goals to lead the West Coast Fever to a resounding 81-56 victory over the Sunshine Coast Lightning in their Suncorp Super Netball League home opener on Saturday night.
The Fever continued their winning streak, extending their record to two wins without dropping a single quarter in their opening games. On the other hand, the Sunshine Coast Lightning, considered premiership favorites, faced a challenging defeat at the hands of the Fever.
Fowler-Nembhard's remarkable accuracy was on full display, with the Jamaican shooter missing just two shots throughout the match. Despite the Lightning's best efforts, including strong defensive play from Courtney Bruce against her former team, Fowler-Nembhard proved unstoppable.
The game started with a flurry of action, as Fowler-Nembhard quickly secured the Fever's first two goals. However, the Lightning fought back to even the scores after trailing early. The Fever's defensive unit applied intense pressure, disrupting the Lightning's attacking combinations, especially after Cara Koenen (21/25) replaced Steph Fretwell in the shooting circle.
As the match progressed into the second quarter, the Fever steadily increased their lead, capitalizing on turnovers and defensive stops. Shanice Beckford's (8/11) pivotal role in the midcourt enabled Fowler-Nembhard to find space and capitalize on scoring opportunities.
The Lightning faced setbacks with Fretwell exiting the court due to an ankle injury, further impacting their offensive flow. Despite efforts to close the gap, the Lightning struggled to contain the Fever's relentless attack.
In the third quarter, the Fever maintained their control, with Beckford and Fowler-Nembhard continuing to dominate in the shooting circle. The Lightning, needing super shots to narrow the deficit, fell short against the Fever's strong defensive presence.
The fourth quarter saw a determined Lightning side trying to stage a comeback, led by Courtney Bruce's defensive efforts. However, the Fever's consistent scoring and strategic play extended their lead further.
With 10 minutes remaining, Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds called for a tactical timeout, urging her team to take risks and reduce the deficit. Despite their efforts, the Fever's relentless performance and precise shooting ultimately secured them a commanding 25-goal victory.
Over at the Ken Roswell Arena, Trinidad and Tobago’s Samantha Wallace-Joseph scored was perfect from the field, scoring 37 goals in the New South Wales Swifts 67-56 win over the Melbourne Mavericks.
Meanwhile, defending champions, Adelaide Thunderbirds suffered a narrow 54-53 loss to Melbourne Vixens despite an impressive 28 goals from just 30 attempts from Romelda Aiken-George.
KFC St. Vincent partners with Shafiqua Maloney to make her Olympic dream come true
Vincentian 800m record holder Shafiqua Maloney has a dream to represent her country at the Olympic Games in Paris and KFC St. Vincent has partnered with her to make that dream a reality.
The fast food chain and the University of Arkansas alum announced the partnership in a joint social media post on Saturday.
“KFC St. Vincent is pleased to announce our support for Vincentian athlete Shafiqua Maloney as she journeys to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.”
“As you know it hasn’t been easy for me but I just want to thank you for your love and support. It has meant a lot,” Maloney expressed in the post.
The fast food chain has already donated ECD$5000 to Maloney’s Olympic fund and will donate ECD$1 with every purchase of two meals from the Maloney-inspired ‘800m Menu,’ the ‘Olympic Dream Meal’ and the ‘800m Warrior Wrap.’
That menu will be available at all KFC St. Vincent restaurants from Monday, April 22.
Maloney, 25, garnered significant attention during her recent appearance on the SportsMax Zone in February, where she revealed that she experienced homelessness for several months in the past year and has been unable to compensate her coaches for an extended period of time.
She also shared that her departure from the United States would result in her being barred from reentry until her application for an O-1 visa is approved. This visa application carries a price tag of $8,500.
“Thank you, KFC and thank you in advance St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I hope that you will help support this cause. Paris 2024, I’ll be there!” Maloney said.
On the track, Maloney has had an excellent start to her 2024 season.
She went unbeaten indoors in three races in the 800m, including establishing a new national record 1:58.69 at the Tyson Invitational on February 10.
Outdoors, Maloney set a new meet record 2:00.25 to win the 800m at the Texas Relays on March 28.
She then established a new national record in the 600m at the Miramar Invitational on April 6 with 1:23.80.
A week later, she ran 1:59.97 for victory at the Tom Jones Invitational in Gainesville.
Most recently, she secured the 800m and 1500m double at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville on April 19.
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