Memories of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand just naturally trigger smiles.

Back then Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz drew 0-0 with fancied France and Brazil and also defeated Panama 1-0 to reach the Round of 16 against all odds.

Their elimination at that stage, beaten by Colombia, could not dilute our pride and joy that their talent and hard work had borne rich fruit.

Four years earlier, the Jamaicans had competed in their very first FIFA World Cup, only to lose all three first-round matches in France.

The aim for the current squad and Coach Mr Hubert Busby will be to not only qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, but to at least match their achievements of 2023.

Progress so far in Concacaf qualifiers suggests they are on target, despite numerous missed chances in their 4-0 defeat of Antigua and Barbuda in Kingston on Friday night.

Last November, the Jamaicans overran Dominica 18-0 in St Lucia.

It was far more of a struggle last month in beating Nicaragua 3-2 in that Central American country.

Now after their triumph over Antigua and Barbuda, the Girlz await Guyana next Saturday in Kingston.

Victory will assure them of a place at the Concacaf Women’s Championship later this year. The top four from that tournament will secure automatic spots at the 2027 World Cup.

Still, nothing is certain, as the Reggae Boyz failure to qualify for this year’s FIFA Men’s World Cup showed.

Yet, we are heartened by Mr Busby’s revelation of his squad’s philosophy “that pressure is a privilege…”

At a lower level of Jamaican sport, St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) continued its awesome, near half a century domination of schoolboy cricket by taking the all-island ISSA/Grace Spalding Cup late last week.

The Santa Cruz-based STETHS had topped long-standing rivals Manchester High on first innings in a drawn game in Mandeville the previous week to win the ISSA/Grace Headley Cup title for an unprecedented 37th time.

In the all-island clash with urban ISSA/Grace Shield winners St Jago High last week, STETHS, talented and efficient, piled up 482 all out in their first innings, led by 17-year-old Ryan Lyttleton’s century and four half centuries from other top batsmen.

Their bowlers, equally efficient, dismissed St Jago for 194 to effectively hand STETHS the Spalding Cup.

They underlined their superiority in the second innings reaching 196 for one as Captain Tyriek Bryan and national Under-15 player Jermari Bryce scored their second-half centuries of the game.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the Santa Cruz school has captured the Spalding Cup in excess of 20 times to go with their 37 Headley Cup triumphs.

As was the case with STETHS footballers, who won the rural daCosta Cup late last year, the terrible impact of Hurricane Melissa has added significantly to their cricketers’ achievements.

Nine classrooms are still without roofing, five-and-a-half months since the hurricane. Other classrooms, workshops, dormitories, and teachers’ cottages remain in disrepair.

Beyond all that, cricket is horrendously expensive. That’s why only 33 schools competed at Under-19 level this season.

Yet, STETHS has remained steadfast down the years — their cricketers consistently showing what Coach Carl Wright describes as discipline and collective effort.

Surely, theirs is an exceptional example for all others to follow.