Coach predicts positive future for male netball

Shawn Murdock, head coach of the Jamaica Suns male netball team, says he is hoping that their win in the international tournament on Sunday in St Vincent and the Grenadines, will help to grow men’s netball locally.

The Suns outclassed the host country 52-33 to win the Americas Netball Championships in front of a fair-sized crowd at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex. The

Jamaicans, who ended the tournament unbeaten, also recorded a 45-24 victory over Grenada’s Spice Boys, turned back the challenge of Antigua and Barbuda Flyballers 65-32 before beating the guest team South Africa 38-36.

Murdock told The Gleaner that he is very happy with the performance of the team because they played very well throughout the tournament.

“It is a great feeling because we prepared well for this championships and so the results are quite satisfying,” said Murdock. “We went in with a lot of unknowns, but the guys did the best that they could and they performed well for the most part, so we are happy that we were able to win,” he said.

“It (tournament) was very difficult because every team brought something different. There were no two teams that were the same but the team that gave us the most problems was the South Africans who were the invited team because we only won that game by two goals,” Murdock said.

He added that their victory is a major boost for male netball in Jamaica because he expects a lot more people to start taking men’s netball very seriously.

“This is a big thing for male netball locally because we have the record of the Sunshine Girls to protect. We went in there with a load on our shoulders trying to match what the females are doing and in the end it went well for us and we came out on top,” Murdock said.

“I think that more support is needed if we are going to grow male netball in Jamaica. I think that any support that we can get is going to be good for the sport of male netball,” he said.

“We got some support from corporate Jamaica and the Government as well for this trip so that is good and it is a step in the right direction. It is only up from here for male netball and so I only see the future as positive for the sport of male netball,” Murdock stated.