ST.VINCENT ANDTHE GRENADINES, the ECCB International Netball Series defending champions and the #17 ranked country in the world, remains unbeaten in the 2025 tournament, following their 63 – 53 defeat of the #19 ranked Barbados on Wednesday night, August, 27, 2025 at the Tanteen Hard court in Grenada.
This victory extends the Vincy Jewels’ unbeaten run in the tournament to 12 consecutive victories dating back to the 2024 ECCB International Netball Series when they played unbeaten, winning all seven matches and taking the 2024 title and the prestigious Gloria Ballantyne Trophy.
In Wednesday night’s match, the Vincentians got off to an aggressive start to take an early lead, but the Bajan Gems fought back, and the pendulum swung from side to side in the first quarter which ended tied at 14 -14.The second quarter ended with Barbados leading 31 – 28, but the Vincentians refused to give up and the third quarter ended with scores again tied at 43 – 43. In the all-important fourth quarter, Vincy Jewels applied the pressure, restricting the Bajan Gems to just 10 goals to their 20, the Vincentians winning the match 63 – 53.
Vincy Jewels goal-shoot, Maryann Frederick, had a 98.21 percent shooting accuracy netting 55 goals from 56 attempts; substitute goal-attack, Shellisa Davis registered 71.43 percent -5 from 7 attempts; and goal-attack, Kristiana Christopher, who was substituted scored 3 from 7, a shooting accuracy of 42.86 percent.
For Barbados, Latonia Blackman scored 24 from 24 attempts – a shooting accuracy of 100 percent; Faye Agard had a 90 percent accuracy scoring 18 goals from 20; Brianna Holder 8 from 12 – 66.67 percent; and Damia Walround 3 from 4 – 75 percent shooting accuracy.
Speaking to the media following the game, co-captain Maryann Frederick said: “I feel good. I didn’t have any doubt that we were going to win the game. I had faith in my team.
It was just to settle down and play our game and that we did and we came out victorious. I’m very pleased. We let down a little bit sometimes, one or two times, but I spoke to them, settled down, and continued playing our game and we did well.”
She is confident the team is on its way to retaining its title noting, “There is no pressure at all,as long as we keep our shoulders high, heads high, we go out and play our game, we have no pressure just to continue to play and we will come out victorious”.
