Thu | May 2, 2024

Hunter, May Day making great strides

Published:Sunday | December 10, 2023 | 12:10 AMRaymond Graham - Gleaner Writer
Pause
Janet Hunter
Raymond Graham photo
Janet Hunter
Holmwood Technical High School’s Brianna Allen (left) tackles May Day’s Shanique Ellis during a rural ISSA Schoolgirl Netball second-round game at the G.C. Foster College, Wynter Pen Road, Spanish Town on November 27.
Nicholas Nunes
Holmwood Technical High School’s Brianna Allen (left) tackles May Day’s Shanique Ellis during a rural ISSA Schoolgirl Netball second-round game at the G.C. Foster College, Wynter Pen Road, Spanish Town on November 27.
1
2

ONE OF the surprises in the rural ISSA Schoolgirl Netball competition this season was the performance of May Day High School’s senior team.

Under the guidance of coach Janet Hunter, they were semifinalists in the competition, finishing fourth after being beaten by many-time champions, Denbigh, in the third-place playoff.

Hunter, who has been at May Day for the past 12 years, was very pleased with the overall performance of the team.

“May Day netball team will be a force to be reckoned with in the future in ISSA netball competitions. This year is the first time we have actually entered the senior competition, and coming from a region which includes firepower like Manchester, Denbigh, Holmwood Technical, and Glenmuir, it was indeed a wonderful feeling. I am extremely proud of the girls,” said Hunter.

May Day’s entrance to the semifinal was no fluke, after topping their group in the first round, they went on to win all their matches in the second round, including a 26-24 win over last year’s finalists Manchester, before advancing to the quarterfinals and semifinals.

“We have been building a netball programme for years, as we used to compete in the Clarendon Juici Beef competition and the Jamalco League. In 2019 we took a team to the Miami Classic tournament in Florida and we won a bronze medal, so we have been building.”

“This year, actually for the first time, we had a junior and senior team in the ISSA competition. Our senior team players are very young, mostly 15 and 16-year-olds and in the next three years, we could reach the pinnacle of the competition. Our junior team members just started learning to play the game in August,” she said.

According to Hunter, there is solely building from within for May Day because they cannot compete with the schools of bigger repute when it comes to recruiting.

In addition, Hunter believes that with better support, the teams will be a force.

“Support is minimal as I have to climb mountains and towers for this, but I would like to thank my acting principal, Mrs Pauline Brown-Hanley, and vice-principal, Ms Kamla Hickey, who both really have done their best in giving their support. We do not have strong support from past students like most of our rivals, so it makes our job much harder,” said Hunter.

One of the things Hunter would like installed is a feeding programme.

With greater support, she says, “we will have a major presence in the sport.”