The Cayman Islands national netball team has returned from the 5th Eastern Caribbean Central Bank International Netball Series in Grenada, having established themselves as a formidable contender on the regional stage.
After a busy tournament that included facing top-ranked opponents and a demanding schedule, the squad finished with a strong record of five wins and three losses.
This record meets the expectation of Cayman’s captain, Katherine Gow, who said before the team’s departure to Grenada, “I’d like to maybe take five or six wins this time, so we’ll see.”
After the tournament, Gow said, “We picked up an extra win this year and we are proud of our growth.”
The tournament, which had a delayed start due to weather, saw Cayman play their first match on 25 Aug. against St. Vincent and the Grenadines where they took a 43-55 loss.
The team quickly bounced back, however, with a dominant 71-10 victory over Montserrat the following day. This marked the start of a winning streak, as they followed up with a 77-16 win against Guyana, and then a 58-43 win over Dominica. The team’s dominant run continued with a hard-fought 58-46 victory against host country Grenada, securing Cayman’s fourth win.
The latter part of the tournament tested the squad, as they faced a 56-61 loss on 30 Aug. against Barbados.
Gow shared, “We played Barbados two years ago and we lost 63-24, [but] in this tournament, we lost by five [points]. Barbados is ranked 19th in the world, whilst Cayman is down at 40th, so it was great to prove we can rub shoulders with the best teams in our region.”
On the final day, 31 Aug., the team secured their fifth win with a decisive 63-26 victory over Antigua and Barbuda.
They closed out their run with a 43-50 loss to Saint Lucia, a team they had hoped to defeat after a narrow loss in the previous year.
“We came out narrowly with a loss … to Saint Lucia [last year], which was a bit of a disappointment for us. So that’s probably set our fire a bit. We want to make sure we beat them,” Gow said before the team’s departure to the tournament.
Despite the losses, head coach Lyneth Monteith expressed her satisfaction with the team’s performance.
“The [women] made their mark on the ECCB competition and established that the Cayman Islands team is a force to be reckoned with,” she said, highlighting the team’s narrow, single-digit losses to teams ranked higher in the competition.
“The team wowed the other teams and spectators with their fast-paced play that was touted as different from the style of play of the other teams,” Monteith added.
Monteith pointed to the win against Grenada, a team ranked 21st in the world netball standings, as a huge achievement for the Cayman squad, currently ranked 40th, saying, “This is huge for the Cayman Islands”.
Individual players also received recognition for their efforts throughout the series.
Gow was awarded with both the ‘Best Centre Court Player’ of the tournament, an achievement she described as a “huge honour”, and the most valuable player for team Cayman.
Goal shooter Kay Copeland was named the third-best shooter in the competition.
Monteith said, “I am very pleased with the performance of the team, and the results show that netball is alive and thriving in the Cayman Islands and certainly a source of inspiration for the younger players.”
