Saint Lucia have filed a written protest over their 33-32 loss to Grenada in the Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Tournament on Tuesday, April 14. They argue that officiating mistakes in the final moments directly affected the outcome at UWI SPEC in St Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago.
This was Saint Lucia’s first loss of the tournament, ending a tense game that shifted several times in the final minutes. The score was tied at 23 after three quarters. In the fourth, Saint Lucia led 29-27 halfway through, but Grenada pulled ahead 30-29. Grenada were given possession twice in the final seconds, allowing them to score the winning goal.
For Saint Lucia, Neriah Charlery continued her blistering form, converting 24 of 28 shots on goal. Captain Naijah Ferdinand added 8-11. For Grenada, captain Rashauna Francis made 27-34, and Aysha Li Phillip-Shepherd 5-7.
Netball Saint Lucia hopes the result will be overturned. Head coach Shem Maxwell quickly called for a review of the officiating, and her concerns were backed by Saint Lucian fans and officials.
“Netball Saint Lucia is currently waiting on the Caribbean Netball Association (CNA) to respond to a written protest… after poor umpiring led to the direct loss of the game to Grenada on April 14th,” read a statement from the local federation.
“This tournament is intended to be developmental, serving as a platform to encourage and nurture young athletes within the sport.
“Unfortunately, the experience delivered in this match has proven to be deeply demoralising. When players are subjected to officiating that is inconsistent and unjust, it erodes their confidence in the sport, the system that governs it, and their own efforts on the court.
“When we speak of netball and its advancement in the region, these are some of the issues that negatively affect that. Therefore, we await a substantive decision from CNA centred around the advancement of our young girls and the sport we all love: Netball.”
Saint Lucia will play their next matches against Barbados and the host team, Trinidad & Tobago.
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