Sharon Rowley urges TT netballers to believe

The 12-member team will take part in a six-day training camp in London before heading to Botswana, via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.

At a brief reception at the VIP Lounge, Piarco International Airport yesterday, Sharon Rowley, wife of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and patron of the Trinidad and Tobago Netball Association (TTNA), said farewell to the national athletes and urged them to play to their full potential.

“You can never do better than your best, and I know that you’re going to do your best.

You’ve been training very hard to accomplish this. From the time you step on that plane, you are going to be the ambassadors for Trinidad and Tobago,” Mrs Rowley said.

Referring to Trinidad and Tobago’s joint title success at home, along with Australia and New Zealand, at the 1979 World Championships, Mrs Rowley admitted, “Deep within me, I feel that we’re going to get a repeat of 1979 with this team. You’re going out there with confidence and faith in yourselves.

Believe in yourself.

“Once you have that ‘space’ in yourself, you know that victory can be yours. We know that you can make us proud.” Also speaking to the players was TTNA president Dr Patricia Butcher.

“You have started your journey since October 2015 and you qualified to go to Botswana, after a very interesting and very tough competition where you placed second in the qualifiers.” The Americas Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA) took place in St Maarten last August but TT suffered a narrow 50-48 loss to Barbados in the title decider.

From the AFNA qualifiers, TT, Barbados and third-placed team Grenada all advanced to the Netball World Youth Cup (formerly World Youth Netball Championships).

TT will be in Pool D, alongside Grenada, England, Fiji and Wales.

Reigning champs New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Samoa are in Pool A. In Pool B are Australia, South Africa, Barbados, Zimbabwe and Singapore; while Jamaica, Botswana, Cook Islands, Malaysia and Uganda will feature in Pool C.

TT will meet Fiji on July 8, followed by England (July 10), Wales (July 11) and Grenada (July 12).

“Since you’ve come back – and that was last year August – you have been working extremely hard,” said Butcher. “All of the technical staff are behind our team because we saw the potential, we saw that you can bring glory to our country Trinidad and Tobago.” Butcher will also be in Botswana, not only to cheer on the national squad but to attend the Annual General Meeting of the International Netball Federation (INF).

“What I want to say to you is ‘we have had challenges’,” she acknowledged.

“You all are aware of the challenges. I want to thank God for bringing us this far. What I ask of you is to make us proud, to be very focused, to be very sensitive that you’re representing your country.” And team manager Vanessa Forde pointed out, “We know that we are prepared and we know that we are going to win. I’m so happy for (the players), I’m so happy that they have stayed focus. We will be successful.” This is the eighth edition of the competition, with Australia emerging victorious on four occasions (1988 in Canberra, Australia; 1996 in Toronto, Canada; 2000 in Cardiff, Wales and 2009 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands).

New Zealand won the other three events (1992 in Suva, Fiji, 2005 in Fort Lauderdale, United States and 2013 in Glasgow, Scotland).

TT U-21 TEAM Players: Aneicia Baptiste, Janeisha Cassimy (co-captains), Tiana Dillon, Cheynelle Dolland, Faith Hagley, Tahirah Hollingworth, Canice Jacob, Sanya Jarvis, Jeresia McEachrane, Shantel Seemungal, Shernece Seemungal, Afiya Vincent.

Technical Staff: Rhonda John-Davis (coach), Kemba Duncan (assistant coach), Vanessa Forde (manager), Dr Aqiyla Gomez (physical therapist), Amanda Johnson (mental coach), Wayne Samuel (primary care), Kerwyn Marcelle (massage therapist).