Barbados’ facile victory over St Lucia in last week’s three-match goodwill series has received more than a fair share of criticism from the pundits who failed to see the value of the ninth-ranked Bajans playing against a 15th rated opponent.
However, the Nisha Craigwell-led Barbados Netball Association must be complimented for achieving what most local associations struggle to do, provide some measure of warm-up preparation and assessment for their national squads prior to selection and competition.
The series also served as a guide to choose the 15 to go off to Jamaica this month for another warm-up series.
Such opportunities to assess fitness, varied combinations and to explore different playing positions for the trialists are often dreamed of by coaches but never realised.
Similarly, prematurely suggesting that the team is short of work or needs more development is naïve since that is what the warm-ups are supposed to accomplish.
We all know that Barbados will play against bigger, stronger, faster and much better opponents at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in July and at the World Qualifiers in Calgary, Canada, in August.
However, the inability to get the Wildey Gym to play indoors and the prohibitive cost of taking a training squad to higher ranked oppositions would have settled the choice of hosting St Lucia.
Coaches Anna Shepherd and Sandra Bruce-Small have indicated that the 25 girls at trials would be maintained in a training squad since that would maintain their game and physical fitness and a touring 12 would be chosen when needed.
Such a ploy would benefit the national trialists as well as lift the standard of their club play and local netball in the long term.
That decision would prove beneficial to the likes of captain Latonia Blackman and Faye Sealy, who currently play for the weakest team in Division One and who miss a higher level of training prior to national duty.
Unfortunately, while Blackman showed her inherent class by immediately rising to play and excel in almost every position against St Lucia, Sealy’s contribution was not as impressive.
While Shepherd admitted that coaches are never satisfied, they would have been pleased with many of the potential options offered by some of those players who stood out in the series. Pure shooters, Laurel Browne and Graydon Sealy schoolgirl Shonica Wharton, provide options of attack in the circle.
Goal attacks Sheniqua Thomas of Combermere and Nikita Piggott, with greater work on their accuracy will make up the four-pronged attack.
Vice captain Rhe-Ann Niles, the physically different but strong Shonette Bruce and Jeneice Clarke, are certainties for defence. Blackbird Shanice Rock should make the defence team, but at wing and not goal, since her over aggression leads to too many penalty shots for the opponents.
There is a wealth of riches in centre court with the classiness and speed of the likes of Damisha Croney, Sabreena Smith, Samantha Browne and Kizzy Marville standing out. Sadly, missing from Barbados’ centre will be the height which the shooting and defending Ds can parade. With more experience in years to come, Queen’s College student Vanessa Bobb can add some height in the centre while the leaping ability of Shonte Seale of Springer could compensate for her short stature.
It will be interesting to see who of the remaining Nikita Cyrus, Teresa Howell, Rhea Bryant, Markayla Yearwood, Shannon Hackett, Shanice Wharton and Rieah Holder will make the final cut.
