ALTHOUGH being handed a task normally assigned to Tom Cruise’s character Ethan Hunte, Barbados netballers left for the World Cup in Sydney, Australia yesterday buoyed with great confidence.
Barbados, ranked ninth, will play the last losing finalists New Zealand on Friday, defending queens Australia one day later and then Trinidad and Tobago the following day in a group that boasts the only three teams to ever win the past 13 world crowns.
T&T shared the crown with Australia and New Zealand in 1979 when the event was held in Port of Spain.
To qualify for a position above ninth, the Bajan Gems must win two games to end first or second in the group to battle among the top eight teams. Losing to both Australia and New Zealand would leave the Gems battling for positions nine to 16.
Newly appointed captain Rhe-Ann Niles acknowledged they were in a tough pool, but she indicated their coaches had emphasised the need for consistency.
THE ROOKIE AND THE VET: Captain Rhe-Ann Niles (left) giving advice to rookie Cherise Seale before leaving Barbados yesterday. (Picture by Kenmore Bynoe.)
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