JAMAICA will be preparing a team almost from scratch as the island's young netballers use the next 10 months to prepare for the 2009 World Youth Championships in Cook Islands next summer.

National under-21 head coach, Janet Guy, told the Observer a group of 26 players had been selected from major towns across the island following two weekends of Trials the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) held in August.

Guy, who is currently in Barbados at a coaches' workshop, had come out in strong criticism of the group of youth players who were thrashed 0-3 by the Australian Institute of Sports in a tri-Test series in June and said the coaching staff would need to identify a new set of players.

Several netballers who were among that infamous group will remain to make up the core of the squad preparing for the WYNC.

Christina Solmon, Malysha Kelly, Crystal Gordon, Sateva Taylor and Vanessa Walker - who were part of Jamaica's winning team at the recent Americas Federation of Netball Associations Championships in St Vincent & the Grenadines - will be bolstered by returning goal shooter Romelda Aiken - fresh from a stint in the ANZ Championships in Australia - as well as Arnett Gardens Club member Kadian Mendez.

Meanwhile, Guy sought to dispel any fears that the time will be too short to prepare a team which will be competitive at the tournament.

"The time sounds like it is short, but with increase in training days and the intensity of training we should be able... we have challenges but we are working on it," she said.
She added that was some discussion about entertaining England early next year: "...So they can give us a series of games and see where we are and get some competition," she said.

Guy also expressed hope that the girls would be able to get some practice games in during the upcoming home tri-nation series featuring Jamaica's senior team against their South African and Trinidad & Tobago counterparts in November, "... so that we can kind of assess work with them. Romelda (Aiken) will be here so we can work with her and get a chance to see her with the other girls in the under-21 squad," she said.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) is proposing to change the dates of the WYNC from July 14-25 as it clashes with the inaugural Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) Games to be held in Trinidad & Tobago, starting on July 13.

IFNA head, Molly Rhone, told the Observer a final decision will be made next month during
the world governing body's council meeting.

Jamaica were fourth at the last WYNC in Fort Lauderdale behind New Zealand, England, and Australia.

The fear factor

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS