T&T men netballers suffer first loss

T&T had their toughest test at the Americas Netball Men’s Championships and came out on the losing end in St Kitts and Nevis on Tuesday night. The local men’s team was defeated by Jamaica, 62-49, at the Pam Tyson Netball Complex.

Goal-shooter Dextroy Manswell led T&T’s shooting with 36 goals from 37 attempts in a match which his team trailed at the end of each quarter.

Coach Pietra Gay stuck with her opening shooting pair captain Steve McSween, as the goal-shooter and goal-attack Keon Russell. The T&T found it difficult to feed its shooters against a tough Jamaican defence.

McSween scored five from six and Russell four from five as T&T trailed by two (11-9) at the end of the first quarter. This prompted coach Gay to make a change in the shooting circle and she rotated in leading shooter Dextroy Manswell as goal-shooter and Kerry McMillan as goal attack. T&T still struggled to make a comeback and held an 11-deficit (30-19) at the half.

On the resumption, T&T made a run behind the effort of Manswell and McMillan, outscoring the Jamaicans 19-17 to trail by nine (47-38) but they ran out of steam in the final session. T&T was outplayed 15-14 to settle for the 13-goal defeat.

“Tonight’s game was tough, and though we didn’t get the result we wanted in the championship, it’s all part of the journey. We played against a highly competitive team and gave it everything we had,” said coach Gay.

“As disappointed as we are, this is only the beginning. I guarantee we’ll come back stronger, more determined, and ready to fight harder than ever. Watch out – we’re not done yet!”

T&T entered its penultimate match with wins against St Vincent and the Grenadines (54-37), USA (48-14), Antigua and Barbuda (87-16), St Kitts and Nevis (56-27) and Grenada (47-25), respectively. The local men were aiming to bounce back from their first loss in the eight-team tournament in their final match against England which was scheduled for yesterday.

Although disappointed by the loss, coach Gay and her team were looking to put the loss behind them and rebound quickly.

“Tonight’s loss to the Jamaica men’s netball team was a challenging moment for us, but we remain steadfast in our resolve. As the saying goes, ‘The race is not for the swift, but for those who endure to the end’.

“This is only the beginning of our journey—a small setback in the grand scheme. We are fully committed to returning stronger, learning from this experience, and driving forward with even greater determination. The fight is far from over, and we are ready to rise.”

Results

T&T 49 (Keon Russell 4/5, Steve McSween 5/6, Dextroy Manswell 36/37, Kerry McMillan 4/4) vs Jamaica 62 (R Wallace 31/36, R Hendricks 12/19, K Dale 17/19, L Parkes 2/2). Quarter scores: 1st 11-9, 2nd 30-19, 3rd 47-38 (All in favour of Jamaica).

St Kitts and Nevis 41 v USA 35

Antigua and Barbuda 24 vs Grenda 50

St Vincent and the Grenadines 31 vs England 64