SUNSHINE Girl Shanice Beckford continues to make her mark on the world stage and has been touted in netball circles as one of Jamaica’s most talented goal attacks and a star on the rise.

Beckford, who made her debut in 2013 against England, was once again voted Jamaica’s most outstanding player at the recently concluded Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

The versatile player, who also ended as Jamaica’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in their bronze medal win at the Commonwealth Games last year, battled a lingering hamstring injury to surpass expectations, scoring 87 goals from 98 attempts at a percentage rate of 88.8.

The 20-year-old was explosive behind shooters Romelda Aiken with 216 from 233 at 92.7 per cent and Jhaniele Fowler-Reid 148 from 162 at 91.4. She also assisted with 50 goals from the 139 centre-passes received, while making three intercepts and four deflections.

Standing at 5ft 8in tall, she is said to possess similar qualities of former captain and her mentor Simone Forbes, who was also a high-percentage shooter.

Beckford, the fearless player, was pleased with the accolades.

“Well it is always a great feeling to be voted top player, especially in a world championship. I was a bit nervous going into each game, but I knew I had to stay focused on getting the job done and to execute efficiently,” The Queen’s School graduate told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

“I honestly wasn’t sure how I was going to perform with the injury; I was in no form and neither was I tournament ready because I sometimes had to sit out training. So I had a lot going through my mind, but my teammates believed in me, so I had to stay positive and trust my skills and God to pull me through,” she added.

Jamaica finished fourth after going down 66-44 to rivals England in the bronze medal game at the Allphones Arena. The defeat was the second to England in the tournament, after going down 50-54 in the group stage in Pool B.

And like it was at the last World Cup four years ago, Jamaica managed to reach the semi-finals where they were beaten 67-56 by reigning and eventual champions, Australia.

“We were determined to go all the way, but it didn’t happen. For me, it is all about the team, so even though I was voted top player, it is the overall performance of the team that really matters the most,” said Beckford, who is dubbed “The Mighty Midget” by her peers.

“And even though we didn’t medal, I think we were right there with the top teams… we fell short in some areas, but I feel a sense of pride knowing that we went out there and gave it our all. It was a tough task and I think we took on the challenge pretty well,” she continued.

The first-year student at the University of Technology (UTech), who had most of her court time at Camperdown High after transferring from Clan Carthy, said it is back to the drawing board as she believes there is still scope for improvement.

“You always feel disappointed when you fail to achieve what you have worked hard for; so I don’t feel accomplished just yet because I know there is more room for improvement to tweak and strengthen some weak areas,” she noted.

“But for now I am just going to get some rest and focus on school and recover from my injury. So I won’t be playing any netball for the next couple of months, but when the time is right, it will be back to the courts to put in the work,” the St Ann Orchids captain added.

— Sherdon Cowan