The 10-member Sunshine Girls team, management and coaching staff left the island on Saturday for the long journey to Melbourne, Australia, for this year’s staging of the Fast5 Netball World Series, which is scheduled to begin next Saturday, October 29, with the team facing South Africa.

The two new players to national representation are shooter Gezelle Allison and centre court player Trishana Hanson. Defender Althea Byfield, who returned to the team after taking a break in 2011, is the Captain of the team. The other players are shooters Anna-Kay Griffiths, Shantel Slater and Vanessa Walker; defenders former captain Nicole Aiken-Pinnock, Kasey Evering and Vangelee Williams; as well as centre court player Nicole Dixon.

The management team and coaching staff are led by Netball Jamaica President Dr Paula Daley-Morris. The team manager is Arlene Findlay. Connie Francis, who took the Sunshine Girls to Fast Net in the first staging in 2009, is the head coach on this tour. Elaine Davis is the assistant coach/massage therapist, while John Campbell is the physiotherapist.

The Sunshine Girls’ best placement to date came in 2009 when they finished second. They have never finished lower than fourth.

Byfield was pleased to be back in the national colours as player, and especially happy to be named captain. She believes the team’s chances were good as they had been practising together for the past six months.

The Sunshine Girls will play three preliminary-round matches on the first day of the series next Saturday. They will play another two matches on Sunday to try to get into the semi-finals. They will play another two matches if they reach the final on Sunday, the final day of competition.