Jamaica Suns eye World Cup prep from England series

The Jamaica Suns will have an opportunity to showcase the growth of men’s netball on one of the sport’s biggest stages when they face the England Thorns in a two-match international series in London next month.

The Suns will contest the Horizon Netball Series against the Thorns on November 21 and 22 at the Copper Box Arena.

Both matches will serve as curtain-raisers for the Rhone-Hornsby Cup series between Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls and England Roses.

For the Suns, the series represents another opportunity to strengthen their growing international programme while testing themselves against quality opposition.

The Jamaicans have dominated the rivalry, winning all four meetings between the teams over the past three years.

Coach Kerry-Ann Brown is confident the latest squad can maintain that record while providing opportunities for a new generation of players.

“The Suns are yet to lose a game since we started our international journey in 2022. We know the Thorns are champing at the bit for revenge, but we are confident in the abilities of the players selected to continue building on our 14-0 unbeaten run,” Brown said.

The 13-member squad includes eight players with previous Suns experience and five potential debutants, among them 18-year-old Ragic Ramsay.

2028 MEN’S WORLD CUP

Brown said the selection was made with more than immediate results in mind, particularly with a Men’s Netball World Cup planned for 2028.

“A Men’s Netball World Cup is in the works for 2028, and in selecting this team, we also made sure we had an eye on long-term development, as we currently do not have the luxury of a pathway similar to that of the other top men’s netball countries,” she said.

“We are fortunate to have quality players who may debut in each area of the court.”

Ricardo Grant, chairman of the Male Netball Association of Jamaica, said the opportunity to compete alongside the Sunshine Girls was a significant milestone for the programme.

“It is a privilege for us to be featured in the same series as our Sunshine Girls,” Grant said.

Grant noted that Australia, New Zealand and South Africa had already benefited from similar opportunities.

As they prepare for the series, Grant also appealed for financial support as the association seeks to cover the cost of sending the team to the United Kingdom.

“As you can appreciate, travelling with a national team to the United Kingdom represents a significant financial undertaking,” he said.

“We are therefore working diligently to raise as much support as possible to offset costs and therefore seek corporate and individual support to help make the trip a success.”

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com

Jamaica Suns Horizon Series Squad

Shooters: Kurt Dale (Captain), Yekeyni Edwards, Richard Hendricks, Raheem Wallace

Midcourt: Marlon Daley, Naturi Jackson, Duwayne Jones, Ragic Ramsay

Defenders: Authorn Chambers, Aniffe Foster, Lamar Parkes, Ramon Parkes

Reserves: Ishmael Leon