Having departed the two previous Netball World Cup (NWC) tournaments empty-handed, Jamaica’s senior netball player Shanice Beckford said the team is determined to come away with silverware from this year’s championships.

The 2023 NWC is to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, from July 28 to August 6.

The Sunshine Girls, who are ranked fourth in the world, last won a bronze medal at the NWC in 2007 in Auckland, New Zealand. However, they have failed to secure a podium finish in the last three instalments of the championships.

The Jamaicans put on a dismal showing at the 2019 tournament in Liverpool, England, finishing a disappointing fifth in the competition.

The 28-year-old Beckford, who has been a mainstay in the team over the past 10 years, said they are confident they will win a medal at this year’s championships.

“The anxiety is building, but the girls are up for the task because we are ready and we are hungry for it,” said Beckford.

“We want to be in that final on the final day and so we are doing the necessary work to ensure that we get the job done and so we can’t wait to get out there,” she said.

The Connie Francis-coached Sunshine Girls will enter the championship full of confidence following their historic silver medal-winning performance at the 2022 at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

Beckford, who is the starting goal attack for the Sunshine Girls, played a crucial role in helping the Jamaicans win the silver medal in Birmingham.

The Sunshine Girls, captained by Jhaniele Fowler, are drawn in Pool C of the tournament and are set to start their World Cup campaign against minnows Sri Lanka on the opening day. They will also tackle Wales and South Africa in the preliminary round of the competition.

The final of the 2023 championship falls on the date Jamaicans traditionally celebrate Independence Day, and according to Beckford, winning the gold medal would be a huge birthday gift for the country.

“Breaking the drought will be monumental for us and we will appreciate it and we will love it, and so are determined to be in that final on August 6,” she said.

“We want to give them [Jamaican people] that gold medal on Independence Day because our Jamaican fans have been one of the best in the world and they are always supporting us, and so giving them that gold medal will be great for us and the country,” Beckford stated.

She also said that all the local-based players on the team were put through rigorous fitness tests prior to their departure for Cape Town last week and everyone got through comfortably.

“Fitness-wise, we are up because the trainers have been running us to wreck, and so we are there. We did our last fitness test last week and all the girls came through it as we were all over the pass mark and so it is just for us to remain focused throughout the tournament,” Beckford noted.