Jamaican netball sensation Latanya Wilson, who represents her nation on the international stage and plays for the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball League champions, the Adelaide Thunderbirds, has been given a fresh start after a devastating fire destroyed her family's home on Rum Lane in Kingston.
On August 17, tragedy struck as Wilson's home fell victim to arson in the heart of downtown Kingston. The family home, shared with her mother and sisters, was firebombed by thugs in the Central Kingston community. Since then, an overwhelming wave of support and solidarity has poured in for the 22-year-old athlete.
In a heartwarming gesture, the Jamaican government, in collaboration with the National Housing Trust and West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON), has provided Wilson and her family with a new home located in St Catherine. The house, offered under a special lease-to-buy agreement, was formally presented to Wilson at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Sports, and Entertainment on Trafalgar Road in Kingston.
Corporate giant GraceKennedy Ltd also stepped up, donating essential food items and J$250,000 in cash to assist the Wilson family during these challenging times.
Minister Olivia Grange, who represents the government and was overseas at the World Championships in Budapest when she learned of the tragedy, spoke emotionally about the support Wilson received. She shared, "It was like 3 or 4 in the morning in Budapest when I got the message, and I called and when I spoke to Latanya and asked where she was, she said she was sitting in Pastor Brown’s car, and I was really touched by that because in a moment like that, you need somebody there to make you feel like you are being taken care of."
Minister Grange emphasized the government's commitment to support not only Wilson but also other affected families by the attack the razed the dwelling. She stated, "Because Latanya is one of our star players and there is some urgency to having her settled because she is going off to greater heights very soon, we are doing this exercise this morning."
Janet Hartley-Millwood, Branch Manager of the NHT St Catherine office, expressed her delight in welcoming Latanya into the NHT family, saying, "We just want to welcome you to the NHT family and into home ownership at the National Housing Trust. We can assure you that we will guide you. We will do what we can to help you through this period of transition."
In response to the overwhelming support, Latanya Wilson shared her gratitude, telling Sportsmax.TV, "No, I didn’t expect this. Everything has come as a surprise. It’s a lot to process but it's very good that everybody is coming on board and supporting wherever they can."
Regarding the opportunity to own a home at her age, she added, "At my age of 22, it is quite an exciting journey for me to turn (the lease) over into a mortgage so I am grateful and happy at this moment."
When asked if this new home gives her peace of mind as she prepares to return to Australia to play in the Suncorp Super Netball League, Wilson replied, "To some extent, it does. It will definitely put my mind at ease in some ways given the fact that your family is somewhere safe."
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Ready to shine: Zaudi Green, Tiffany Langley share expectations as Sunshine Girls brace for Fast5 challenge
When Zaudi Green and Tiffany Langley boarded their flight bound for New Zealand on Friday, their hearts were filled with more than the anticipation of travel—they were carrying high expectations of a Sunshine Girls team, aiming to give a good account at the Fast5 Netball World Series and make Jamaica proud.
Green and Langley are part of a young and relatively untested squad stepping onto one of netball’s most electrifying stages, but despite the inexperience, the pair exude a calm assurance that they’re ready for the task ahead. The opportunity for these players to make their mark opened up as the more experienced players from the Netball World Cup bronze medal-winning team prepare to lock horns with England in the four-match Vitality Horizon series.
“The mood in the camp is very vibrant and filled with love and togetherness as our bond grows stronger each day as we head into the tournament. Our goal is to give a performance that will make Jamaicans proud,” Green, a defensive standout, told SportsMax.Tv.
“We know that people might think our lack of experience puts us at a disadvantage, but we’ve trained hard and have all the faith in our abilities,” she added.
This year's Fast5 series, like previous editions, promises to be fiercely competitive, bringing together six of the world’s top netballing nations—New Zealand, Australia, England, Jamaica, South Africa, and Uganda—in Christchurch for two days of action on November 9-10.
Competing against established and formidable powerhouses, the Sunshine Girls task of getting on the podium will by no means be easy. Still, Green and Langley’s confidence is unshaken, driven by an eagerness to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish.
“We’re coming with everything we’ve got,” declared Langley, a quick-footed centre, who brings speed and vision to the squad’s offensive game.
“We’ve been pushing ourselves in every training session, knowing that each moment counts when you’re up against teams like Australia, England, and New Zealand. We know our capabilities, and now it’s just about executing when we’re out on that court,” she shared.
Although Fast5 netball has a faster pace and modified scoring rules that often require strategic adjustments, both players believe the Sunshine Girls are ready to embrace the challenge.
The Jamaican style—a blend of speed, agility, and flair—suits the tournament format, and Green and Langley believe they can make it work to their advantage.
In fact, Head coach Dalton Hinds and his assistant Nardia Hanson, have emphasized teamwork, resilience, and adaptability as essential skills for the youthful team to succeed.
“The coaches have really instilled confidence in us, so even with the challenges we face as a younger squad, we’re well-prepared to handle anything that comes our way. The last few days of training have been intense and productive as we worked on fine-tuning some key areas to ensure that we are ready for the task at hand,” Green stated.
For Green, 25, the chance to represent her country on this international stage is a personal triumph and an opportunity to inspire young netballers back home.
“I am hoping to perform well to make my mark as a new member of the squad. From a team perspective, it’s about making a statement and rising above expectations because we want the younger players to see that they, too, can reach the international stage if they work hard and believe in themselves,” the bubbly player noted.
Meanwhile, Langley, 24, welcomed the dynamics of the Fast5 format, which will provide both a mental and physical test.
“It’s a unique challenge, but we’re ready to adapt. We’ve done a lot of work to ensure we give a good account of ourselves, and we want to go home with heads held high, knowing we gave our best and represented our country with pride,” she ended.
Squad: Shadine Bartley, Paula-Ann Burton, Simone Gordon, Zaudi Green, Tiffany Langley, Roxanna McLean, Amanda Pinkney, Kimone Shaw, Kestina Sturridge, Corneilia Walters
“It’s a big one for us”- Sunshine Girls coach Sasher-Gaye Henry looking forward to England challenge
Sunshine Girls coach and former player Sasher-Gaye Henry says her team is looking forward to the challenge of taking on England in their upcoming four-match Test series.
Henry’s Sunshine Girls will be looking to rebound from a 1-2 series defeat at the hands of their opponents when they last squared off in England last January.
“It’s a big one for us and we’re looking forward to the ranking,” Henry told Sportsmax.tv last week.
We always want to beat England and they always want to beat us so we embrace this type of competition and look forward to it,” Henry added.
Both teams are currently separated in the Netball World Rankings by just two points. England are ranked number two in the world with 189 rating points while Jamaica are fourth with 187.
Henry, who won 75 caps for the Sunshine Girls between 1996 and 2015, was also asked about her best memories as a player against England.
Rather than giving just one memory, Henry noted how excited she was whenever she got to test her skills against the rivals.
“As a player, it was always about wanting to win, especially when it comes to playing England,” she said.
“We’re big rivals and it was always a competition between coming third and fourth so we were always in high spirits when we were playing England and the cycle continues,” Henry added.
Jamaica will first travel to England to take on the Vitality Roses on November 16 and 17 at the AO Arena in Manchester before hosting the Roses at the National Indoor Sports Centre on November 25 and 26.
Henry is pleased with her team’s preparation for the series thus far.
“I think the preparation has gone fairly well. One of our main focuses was on our fitness, mental preparation and tactical plays. What we’re looking is to see hos well the girls will put all of those into play and be ready for the competition,” she said.
Evenly matched: A look back at the last decade of the rivalry between Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls and England’s Vitality Roses
The intense rivalry between Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls and England’s Vitality Roses will see its next chapter when the teams meet in a crucial four-match Test series in November.
The Roses and the Sunshine Girls are currently second and fourth with 189 and 187 rating points, respectively, in the Netball World Rankings based on matches up to October 6.
Sandwiched between the two is New Zealand with 188 points while Australia have a comfortable lead atop the rankings with 209 rating points.
The series will see the Jamaicans travelling to England for matches on November 16 and 17 at the AO Arena in Manchester before hosting the Roses at the National Indoor Sports Centre on November 25 and 26.
As has been previously stated, this rivalry has been one of the most competitive in global netball and, to give some context, here are the results from various series and matchups between the two over the last 10 years.
The teams met on five occasions in total in 2015. They met in a three-match Test series in January in Jamaica which the hosts won 2-1 before meeting twice at the Netball World Cup in Australia in August.
Drawn together in the Group Stage, England defeated the Sunshine Girls 54-50 in the preliminaries before producing a dominant display in the bronze-medal game, winning 66-44.
A year later, the teams met again in a three-match Test series, this time in England with the Jamaicans once again coming out 2-1 winners.
Current Sunshine Girls captain and best goal shooter in the world at the moment, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, kept it simple when recalling her favourite memory facing the Roses throughout her illustrious career.
“My best memory playing against England throughout my career has to definitely be any time we’ve beaten them,” she told Sportsmax.tv at a Sunshine Girls training session at the National Indoor Sports Centre last Friday.
“I take great joy in going up against them, especially beating them on their home turf,” she added.
A major tournament was once again the setting for the pair’s next meeting, this time at the 2017 Fast5 Netball World Series in Australia.
Jamaica defeated England 47-38 in the round robin stage but it was England who had the last laugh, defeating the Sunshine Girls 34-29 when it mattered most to win the title for the first time.
The teams next locked horns in the last four at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
England entered that game in red hot form, dominating everyone in the preliminary round on their way to a 5-0 record while Jamaica’s only loss up to that point in their five preliminary round games was to Australia.
The teams fought to the death in the semi-final with England eventually coming out victorious 56-55 before winning another nail-biter, 52-51 over Australia, to win gold.
Jamaica took bronze with a 60-55 win over New Zealand.
Current Sunshine Girl and global netball star, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, described that semi-final as a bittersweet moment when asked about her most vivid memories of facing the Roses in her career.
“I would say it’s a bad and a good memory because at least we were able to challenge England to that extent,” she told Sportsmax.tv.
A few months later that same year, the Girls got their revenge with a 3-0 Test series whitewash over their counterparts at home. The 2023 Suncorp Super Netball player of the year described this series as the best moment of her national team career, so far.
Moving on to the 2019 Netball World Cup which was hosted by England where the rivalry renewed in the preliminary round.
The hosts came out winners 56-48 and went on to claim bronze while Jamaica failed to advance to the semi-finals, finishing fifth.
Jamaica came out on top over the Roses at the 2020 Netball Nations Cup in England. They met in the third round with the Sunshine Girls coming out 70-66 winners before eventually losing the final 56-67 to New Zealand.
2021 saw England’s Roses secure their first Test series win over the Sunshine Girls since 2013 with a 2-1 win in Nottingham.
The two sides last met in January 2023 in a three-match test series played in Manchester and London which saw the Vitality Roses defeat Jamaica 73-52 in the first match, take a narrow 58-61 loss in the second match, and claim the series with a 63-59 win in the third and final test.
Amazingly, the two sides didn’t meet at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham or last summer’s Netball World Cup in South Africa.
The Sunshine Girls took silver in Birmingham while the Roses finished fourth. The World Cup saw England take home a historic silver medal while Jamaica took bronze.
It remains to be seen who will come out on top in the latest edition of this rivalry but one thing’s for sure, it will be exciting.
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