Netball officials caught in ‘fire’

THE Trinidad and Tobago Netball Association are again attempting to pull wool over the eyes of the public.

Recent information is that they have received a time extension to send their list of 12 players for the July 11-20 World Netball Championships in neighbouring Kingston, Jamaica. The fact remains, however, there was  no local squad in training for the tournament. Since 1999 at the end of the 10th World Netball Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, all countries were aware of the venue and dates for the next series. But the association would have all and sundry believe that because of a “change of administration” they were unable to submit their team before the deadline date of March 31, 2003. Well they did have a change in administration at their annual general meeting held on March 29, would you believe. But what the general public is unaware of is that the first vice-president of two years ago, Martha Archer is now the president, and for two terms before that she held that top office. Also, the “new” treasurer Naomi Regis-Gilkes was of course president until the recent AGM, and the second vice-president Angela Joseph was Public Relations Officer.

So what change of administration? Truth be told, there has been a kind of musical chairs, with the same officials  shifting around to different positions. What is most disgusting is that the administration never took action over the last two years at least, when leading players were refusing to come out to training under ex-coach Grace Parkinson-Griffith, who only tendered her resignation also at that AGM on March 29. Until then, only between five and eight players were turning up for training, but immediately, again according to information, Veronica McDonald of the Defence Force was “appointed” coach, more than 16 names have been thrown up. Now the association, after bungling over the past three years at least, want to  start preparing a team for a World Championship in under three months.  When champions Australia have, between 1999 and now, played at the Commonwealth Games in Man-chester, England, last year, and retained their title. And only a few months ago they won a three-Test series against current Caribbean queens Jamaica.

The main ploy in the whole scenario is, however, the TTNA are once again caught with their fingers in the fire, and their only focus is on escaping a fine and a second ban by the International Federation of Netball Associations. Similar action was taken 13 years ago. It is an insult to the 1.5 million nationals for a hastily assembled team to carry our flag in Jamaica. Especially so after the late Jean Pierre, Cyrenia Charles, Marcia Dimsoy, Jennifer Nurse, Angela Burke-Brown, Jennifer Williams-Frank, Heather Charleau, Veryl Prescod, Ingrid Blackman, Peggy Castanada, Althea  Thomas-Luces and skipper Sherril Peters fought so hard and won the respect of  the world as the only team other than Australia and New Zealand to capture the world crown.

Even when well prepared, with both Jamaica and Barbados opting out and instead attending the Common-wealthh Games, TT could only manage the runners-up spot in the Caribbean Netball Association Championships last year, convincingly beaten 54-33 by St Vincent, and just edging Antigua/Barbuda 49-48. Now that “new administration” is hoping to access funds from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs to send their 86-day prepared scraped together team to Jamaica to have one-time world champions and 10-time Caribbean netball queens Trinidad and Tobago embarrassed.