It’s been six months, but Jamaicans still get a warm glow remembering the unprecedented Commonwealth Games silver medal won by their national netballers, the Sunshine Girls, in Birmingham, England, last August.

Back then, the Jamaicans not only won the Commonwealth silver medal against all odds, they came within five goals of upsetting traditional netball powerhouse, Australia, in the gold medal game.

In the preliminaries they did beat Australia for the first time ever, and also stopped the acclaimed New Zealand Silver Ferns in the run-up to the final.

In fact, Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls were the toast of the netball tournament at the Commonwealth Games.

Unfortunately, just over a month later, their stocks fell as visa problems led to Jamaica struggling to field a team for a Test series in New Zealand. Netball Jamaica was forced to call on the coach, Ms Connie Francis, and long-retired players to make up a roster.

On balance, though, it is fair to say that it is that glorious silver medal in Birmingham that will be most remembered whenever Jamaica’s netball in 2022 is discussed.

So now, with more glory beckoning for the Sunshine Girls at the 2023 Netball World Cup set for Cape Town, South Africa, in July and August, a national squad featuring a mix of youth and experience is preparing to face hosts England at the height of winter for a three-match Vitality Netball International Series.

The first game will take place in frigid Manchester, in northern England, on January 11, with the remaining two games set for London on January 14 and 15.

Ms Francis tells us that the England series will be a crucial part of preparation for final squad selection ahead of the World Cup.

“[I]t is a nice group of players to work with — both senior players and young junior players with rookies in it — and it contributes significantly to Jamaica netball’s future,” Ms Francis told this newspaper just days before departure for England.

And further that: “[W]e are missing three to four key players… but, guess what? This is really an opportunity for the young and new players to step in and give a good account of themselves… You know, just to knock on the door to say ,’Hey, I am ready to be a part of the World Cup team.’ “

Of course, it’s not only about the young, up and coming. A number of senior, experienced players will want to show they still possess not just the skill sets, but the hunger to perform at the highest international level.

Among those is Ms Malysha Kelly, a top-rated defender who was omitted from the Commonwealth Games squad last year after recovering from knee injury. Undeterred by that experience, Ms Kelly tells us the trip to England “is very important to me personally, because… it is a World Cup year, and so it allows me to see where I am and what I need to work on”.

In our view, that’s an attitude that can’t be beaten. We wish our Sunshine Girls all that’s good as they enter another phase of their history-making journey.