Senior national netball players have been challenged to raise their standard of play in this year’s Barbados Netball Association League and Knockout Competitions as they prepare for higher competition.
Head coach Alwyn Babb told NATIONSPORT with no international games scheduled prior to the July 3 to 10 World Netball Championships in Singapore, players would have to raise their level of play locally.
“I am taking a close look at the standard of play in the domestic season. The shooters have to show an interest in their stats from game to game. The defence has to start keeping track of interceptions and their overall standard of play has to be above the average club player.”
“There must be a marked difference. The person coming into the [Netball] Stadium has to see a marked difference between the person at trials and the club player – not only their overall play, but the attitude and response to calls from the umpie.”
Babb has retained the core group which placed seventh at the Commonwealth Games, but revealed there were several players he had been observing.
“From the Knockout, I am seeing some good prospects, so I will be asking them to join the squad, knowing full well that some players are considering retirement after Worlds. We don’t want to be caught napping, so we want the transition to be as smooth as possible.”
The coach wouldn’t say who those players were, adding that they had a right to change their mind. He noted, however, that players were leaving the game too early and cited 38-year-old Irene van Dyk, who was still making a valuable contribution to the New Zealand team.
Babb was also satisfied with the World Championships draw which has Barbados, England, Malawi and Malaysia in the same group.
“I feel comfortable with the schedule, knowing that we would have the opportunity to start at the lowest level and work our way up. We play Malaysia first, England and then Malawi which will decide the top two in the group,” Babb said.
“The draw works in our favour.”
Babb and his team are continuing their programme which he said never faltered even in the midst of juggling his duties as a Physical Education teacher at The Lester Vaughan School for the recently held Inter-School Sports.
He said they had been paying a lot of attention to fitness and conditioning, and correcting the errors which plagued them at the Commonwealth Games.
