Girls target England - Two-Test netball series gets underway

BY DANIA BOGLE Observer staff reporter

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

JAMAICA's senior netball team will face their England counterparts in the first of two netball Test matches in the 2010 NCB Sunshine Series at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC) this evening, beginning at 6:30.

The matches will be used by both squads as a marker for October's Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

England won the bronze medal at the last event in Melbourne, Australia in 2006, beating Jamaica by a point in the third-place play-off, while the positions and scores were reversed when the teams met at the World Netball Championships in Auckland, New Zealand a year later.

England won all three matches of the last Test series against Jamaica in the United Kingdom in February 2009, but this series comes on the back of defeats for both teams.

The Sunshine Girls were beaten in all five matches of two Test series against New Zealand and Australia in August, while England were beaten 2-1 by Australia in February.

The Sunshine Girls were severely depleted in Oceania last month but will welcome the return of captain Simone Forbes, goal defence Althea Byfield -- who spent a season playing in the ANZ Championships "Down Under" -- goalkeeper Kasey Evering, who has been out since 2007, as well as Georgia Gordon.

"We really want to go big at the back," team coach Connie Francis told the Observer.

"This will be a better series for us and I really want to see how we gel... having five new players will help us. It's five experienced players, so it helps," she added.

According to Francis, while the majority of the squad for the Commonwealth Games is not likely to comprise most of the younger players who played in the two series this summer, it was still a valuable experience for them.

"I think (it was good) that players who went to learn to be independent and not rely on senior players and the ones who were brought in will be ready and even more able," she said.

While they have only been back for just over a week, Francis said the players had re-acclimatised and would be ready.

"One of the problems is to ensure that they don't get dehydrated. One or two of them have been having severe cramps, which suggests they are dehydrated, but we're giving them a lot of fluids... they look very focused, not jet-lagged, and we have more solid players, so I think that will help us a lot," she added.

The English team arrived last weekend for the series and have been having daily training sessions at the match venue.

The English will also feature a blend of youth and experience, including several players who have never played in senior games against Jamaica, though they have played in Jamaica in preparation for the World Youth Championships.

However, manager Liz Bloor believes such a blend is always important.

"... That blend brings on the younger players, gives them some structure to the form they're playing in, so we're very pleased with the balance of players," she stated.

"We're hoping to see the squad looking sharp, that they're looking prepared and to see the combinations on the court and just increasing their exposure to international players they are likely to meet in Delhi."

Test series between the teams usually consist of three matches, but Bloor pointed out that the hectic schedule of both teams this time around only allows for two.

"The two matches were dictated by the fact that the Jamaicans were in Australia and New Zealand and we also have to be back in England before we leave for Delhi and we were also in Australia for training matches, so it's very much part of the overall preparations," Bloor said.

She, however, says while the games are part of their preparation, they're in it to win.

"Our aim is always to win. We don't play international matches with a plan to lose," she said. "But there are also other objectives that the coaching team will be working on with players individually and as a whole team, but in an international sport, the objective is to win," she said.

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Girls target England - Two-Test netball series gets underway