coach of Jamaica's Under-13 netball squad, Barbara Sinclair, said an upcoming three-game series against a Cayman All-Stars team will be more about getting a proper assessment of where the local nursery squad is - a year after they began training - than about notching up victories.

"It's not so much about winning, but how they play the game and a chance for us to look at them," Sinclair told the Observer about the group which started training in May last year.

The national nursery squad of approximately 33 youngsters will play three matches against the All-Stars team, on May 18, 19, and 20, at the Leila Robinson Courts of the National Stadium.

"I don't want them to get technically unsound because if you don't catch them at this stage you find that when they grow up they do what they are coached or feel to do, so this will provide us with a chance to do remedial work and examine if they are looking at our programme instead of theirs," she added.

The Caymanians, who arrive on May 17 and leave on May 21, will also play two matches against St Hugh's and The Queen's Under-13 squads.

Sinclair said the tour was arranged after the Cayman coach expressed an interest in travelling to the island to reward her youngsters for performing well, and also using the occasion to get some practise matches against their Jamaican counterparts while benefitting from a few training sessions with Sinclair herself.

"We really are looking to build them for the future so we're making them aware of the concepts and principles of the game, so it might be good for them to get exposure to an unfamiliar team," Sinclair said of the Jamaicans.

Goal-attack for the National Senior team, Simone Forbes, is an assistant coach of the nursery squad which trains each Saturday at The Queen's grounds.

Meanwhile, Jamaica's Under-21 team will also be playing a series against an Australian Institute of Sport squad in a three-game series from June 23-30 at GC Foster College.

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