PRAISES have been pouring in for Jamaica’s netballers after they edged England 2-1 in the just-concluded three-Test Supreme Ventures Sunshine Series.

The coaches have been credited for marshalling the troops well.

The sponsors have also been acknowledged for throwing their support behind the senior team.

Not to be left out are the thousands of fans who welcomed the chance to see the world number four Sunshine Girls on home soil against third-ranked England.

Marva Bernard, Netball Jamaica president, noted that the almost full National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC) was evidence that the backing is strong for the country’s netball players.

“We are happy for the crowds we had, and it’s not been like this for a very long time. The work we have been doing to highlight netball is paying off,” she said.

The uproarious nature of the fans’ support created an electric atmosphere, undoubtedly a major spark for the girls throughout the highly competitive series.

Corporate partners who stuck with Netball Jamaica should be pleased they had the chance to market their brands on such a platform.

For last Tuesday’s third game, the biggest spectator showing for the series, approximately 4,000 people were at the venue which has a 4,500 seating capacity.

“It is important that people can see what we are saying about the quality of the Sunshine Girls. If they see how hard the players work, and they see the potential they can come out some more to support.

“Just to see the crowd in the arena…the last time we played England the crowds didn’t turn out, so it means Jamaicans are buying into what we are doing and I’m happy for the turnout,” Bernard added.

The England Roses previous trek to Jamaica for a Test series saw them sweeping to an emphatic

3-0 win in the spring of 2013. The two clashed in a one-off encounter in January 2014 and hosts England were again the victors.

The Sunshine Girls avenged those defeats at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, defeating England for bronze.

The three-Test series victory is a further push in the right direction for Netball Jamaica.

“I thank England for coming and we always have these exchanges every other year, and in a year of the World Cup it would have been really sad for us if we were not able to give the Sunshine Girls practice against a team as highly ranked as they are. England have played Australia, New Zealand, Malawi, and now they’ve played us. We have only played England,” Bernard said.

Jamaica and England used the series to help prepare for the 2015 Netball World Cup to be hosted in Australia in August.