Sunshine Girls to play Barbados in warmup series

KINGSTON:

The Sunshine Girls will play Barbados in a three-game friendly series from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21 as part of the national team's preparation for the upcoming Netball World Cup in August.

"We had a standing invite for Barbados to play us in Kingston. We're happy that they're coming, as it will benefit both teams to play each other prior to the Netball World Cup," Karen Anderson, Netball Jamaica's general manager, said yesterday.

"Playing a series against Barbados fits in nicely with our tournament simulation, which includes the Sunshine Girls playing an All-Star team selected from this year's Berger Elite League competition."

Technical director Jill McIntosh says the series will provide invaluable match practice.

"The opportunity to play someone different is invaluable, and we thank Barbados for making the journey to Kingston. This series will be of huge assistance to the national selectors in making their decisions on the final 12 players to represent Jamaica at this year's Netball World Cup," said McIntosh.

series sweep

Jamaica last played Barbados in a friendly series in June 2014 as part of the Sunshine Girls' buildup to the Commonwealth Games. The Sunshine Girls swept the series 3-0 and went on to win the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, finishing behind Australia and New Zealand.

Barbados are ranked 10th in the world, behind Trinidad and Tobago, who are ranked ninth. The Jamaicans are ranked fourth, behind number one Australia, New Zealand and third-place England.

Final details of the three-game series will be announced by Netball Jamaica within the coming days.