Red-hot Molynes tipped to oust JN Open League champions

THE qualifiers for this Thursday's semi-finals in the JN Open League netball competition will be known today, following today's quarter-finals at the Leila Robinson Courts, starting at 6:45 p.m.

Defending champions Mico 'B', who topped Group Two with 24 points from eight wins, will be aiming to move forward in a bid to retain their title as they go up against the very dangerous Molynes 'A', which topped Group Seven with maximum 21 points from their seven wins.

This game is expected to be very close, but Molynes 'A', the team with the second-highest number of goals in the competition, is given the edge to topple the defending champions.

It could go either way in the UWI Pelicans vs Jamalco encounter, as both teams were red hot in the preliminary stage of the competition and topped their groups quite easily. The Conrad Parkes-coached UWI Pelicans topped Group One with maximum 21 points from seven games, and with the likes of former national senior players Nadine Bryan and Thristina Harwood, along with former national Under-21 player Shameera Sterling in their line-up, they could go all the way.

After being beaten in last year's final by Mico 'B', the Winston Nevers-coached Jamalco are determined to go all the way this time around, and after topping Group Seven with maximum 21 points from seven games, they will be hoping that ace shooter Marsha Murphy-Dawkins continues her impressive form and steers them to the semi-final.

MICO 'A'

Last year's beaten semi-finalists, Mico 'A', who were upstaged by sister team Mico 'B', have been the best attacking and defensive team so far this season, and after dominating Group Six with maximum 24 points from eight games, they will be hoping to get the better of Group Three winners Cablepro in the other quarter-final.

Despite their impressive record, the Mico team will enter today's encounter without ace goalshooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, who played her final game on Saturday against UTech Knights.

Fowler-Reid left the island on Sunday for the ANZ Championship in New Zealand, but the Annette Daley-coached team still has national senior defender Vangelee Williams in their line-up.

The consolation quarter-finals will also take place today, starting at 5:54 p.m. The games are: Speg A vs Waulgrovians B, Tivoli Gardens vs Skibo, Ravens A vs UTech Knights, and Molynes United B vs Molynes United C.