Sunshine Series moves to England
Published:Sunday | August 16, 2020 | 12:34 AMRobert Bailey - Sunday Gleaner Writer
The scheduled Sunshine Girls’ three-Test home series against rivals England Roses has been moved to the United Kingdom.
President of Netball Jamaica (NJ), Tricia Robinson, told The Sunday Gleaner that the previously agreed November date for the Sunshine Series has also been changed to the first week in December, due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has been sweeping the globe.
“They (England) were scheduled to be here in Jamaica actually, but they asked us if we could facilitate the series being played in England,” said Robinson. “There is still no guarantee, but we are preparing for it as we continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“We really have to play it by ear to see what is happening in terms of Government allowing us to travel,” Robinson added.
The Sunshine Girls are currently ranked fourth in the world, one place below England.
The Jamaicans recorded a 3-0 home series victory over England in 2018 in their last Test series.
Robinson underlined that she is a bit disappointed that the series has been moved to England, but added that she understands the move behind it.
“It is a very important series for us because it is a ranking series. Every time we play against a top team, it is a ranking series, and so we are looking forward to this series,” said Robinson.
“Naturally (we are disappointed) because it was an opportunity for Jamaicans to see the girls on local soil. It was also an opportunity for us to raise funds, but we agreed to go to England because we managed to negotiate certain things,” she added.
The NJ boss underlined that her organisation is yet to receive protocols as it relates to the resumption of contact training, and so the Sunshine Girls will continue to prepare for the series remotely, under the guidance of head coach Connie Francis.
“We are still waiting on the protocols from the Ministry of Health and as soon as they give us the green light then we will be on court,” said Robinson.
“We are hoping to get it as soon as possible, especially for the ISSA netball competition which is set to commence in October,” Robinson stated.