Dear Editor,

We can now sing praises for the record-equalling finish by the Sunshine Girls for their resilience in their approach to the Fast5 Netball World Series in Melbourne, Australia. Under the leadership of Sasher-Gaye Henry, and her able deputy Marvette Anderson, Jamaica has secured a place in history with a second-place podium finish for their efforts. Our local coaching team has brought us all the way to the finals.

We should be more than proud of the tremendous efforts of the Sunshine Girls who have dug deep throughout the games. We can always depend on our goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid to give us a most invaluable and magnificent tournament for us to see the girls coming on top of South Africa, Australia, Malawi, New Zealand and England. We won over all the big teams, but had to settle for second after the final whistle when we had to face England for a second time, but we faltered to second spot by five points, 29-34, in the final quarter.

This is the second time Jamaica has gone beyond the semi-finals in an international tournament. Under Marva Bernard, in 2009 in the inaugural Fastnet tournament, Jamaica also secured a second-place finish.

Sasher-Gaye and Marvette do know the psyche of the team and the rhythmic pattern of their charges. We have tried numerous people at the helm of our coaching dynamics, but have never got to celebrate the prowess of our girls.

Jermaine Anderson-McCracken suggested that our girls cannot beat Scotland, and we didn’t have to play lowly Scotland to reach the zenith of the tournament. She might have been a good coach, but her high-handedness to fulfil her desired goals has a lot to be desired.

Kudos to the amazing Sunshine Girls to make Netball Jamaica head Paula Daley-Morris proud. I would just like to say thanks to Marva Bernard; this is a big win for her too. She has worked assiduously over the years for the girls to see their true colours. I wish you well.

Paris Taylor

Greater Portmore, St Catherine

paristaylor82@hotmail.com