Trinidad stun Jamaica in CAC netball final

Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls were dethroned as Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games netball champions after suffering a shock 56-49 defeat to regional rivals Trinidad and Tobago in yesterday’s final in the Dominican Republic.

The Jamaicans, who won the title three years ago in El Salvador, fielded a team comprising mainly under-21 players and were eventually beaten by seven goals by a more experienced Trinidad and Tobago outfit in a fiercely contested encounter.

The Sunshine Girls made a slow start, struggling to contain their opponents, who dominated the opening quarter to take an 18-10 lead. Jamaica found rhythm in the second quarter and mounted a determined fightback, outscoring Trinidad and Tobago 14-11 to reduce the deficit to 29-24 at half-time.

However, the Trinidadians who were unbeaten during the tournament, remained composed and refused to allow Jamaica to build momentum. They stepped up in the third quarter, extending their advantage by three goals to lead 42-35 heading into the final period.

Both teams scored 14 goals in the fourth quarter, but Trinidad and Tobago held firm to secure victory and claim their first-ever netball gold medal at the CAC Games.

Goal shooter Simone Gordon led Jamaica’s attack with 41 goals from 53 attempts, while Jada Ricketts added eight from 17 attempts.

For Trinidad and Tobago Samantha Wallace scored 41 goals from 44 attempts while Kalifa McCollin had 100 per cent success with 15 goals from 15 attempts.