SCOTIABANK Group, Jamaica, won the 2012 renewal of the Florida Netball Classic Invitational Tournament by defeating University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, 16-11, in the final at Broward College Gymnasium last Sunday.

Twenty-four teams participated, 11 from Jamaica and the United States and one each from Barbados and Cayman Islands.

Scotiabank had things their own way easily on the opening day as their group was the easiest of the six in the tournament. They defeated a Business House Netball Association (BHNA) team, HEART Trust/NTA, 22-0, in the first match.

Soctia followed this up with wins over Friendship Sports and Community Club, 22-4, and gained a walk over victory to qualify for the quarter-final round alongside Jamaican teams JPS, Police Area 7 and JNBS.

In their quarter-final match-up, Scotiabank defeated Cayman All-Stars, 19-2, last Sunday, and then stopped Police Area 7 in the semi-final, 18-4.

Defending champions Upsetters of Florida, who paraded former national Jamaican players Naudia Hanson, Althea Byfield and Carla Willima-Borrego, and USA national players Natalie Cousins, Tanisha Morris, Annette Payne, Dalia MaCarthur and Measha Reid from JAMALCO, were the teams on the other side of the draw and were favourites.

This, however, was not to be as Upsetters stopped CARICOM, 9-4, in the quarter-final match and met surprise team UWI, who upset Upsetters, 14-10, in the semi-finals.

The final was a close affair in the first half, with the score being 8-7 in favour of Scotiabank at half-time. The second half saw coach Winston Nevers making a few adjustments and the local bankers ensured UWI were scoreless for the first five minutes of the period.

Goalshooter Marsha Murphy scored 12 goals from 13 attempts and Brown four from four for Scotiabank Group. Upsetters finished third, while Police Area 7 was fourth.

HEART Trust won the uniform parade, while Andrea Mais from Pacesetters won the shooting competition.