The Digicel-sponsored netball tournament continues today at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with the second two-best in three semifinals.
The first match in the two-best in three semifinals saw Doves as the better team having defeated All Stars by ten goals. All Stars scored twenty goals.
The top goal scorers were Shenne Subrattie of Doves with 31 goals and Simonica Fanfair with 13 goals for All Stars.
Earlier yesterday Doves defeated Fearless Flyers of the New Opportunity Corps in the final preliminary match. Doves scored 41 goals as against Fearless Flyers’ 14.
President of the Guyana Netball Association (GNA), Kim Kyte-John in an interview with Stabroek Sport said that the four teams participating in the competition have all displayed a high level of competitiveness. That she credits to the monetary prizes up for grabs.
Digicel she said will be awarding the winning team a monetary incentive along with individual medals and trophies. John also stated that the association has undertaken to award monetary incentives to the first three teams. According to her this is the first time that the GNA is awarding monetary prizes at its championships.
She however said that even though the teams are working very hard, the Fearless Flyers of NOC are doing so at a disadvantage. NOC, an institution for juvenile offenders has had a high turnover rate.
“I believe they have not been able to play at their best compared to the twenty-three and under, we had a better team there. Most of those players have left, but from all of the other teams the level of competition has been very high”.
The competition, John said has opened a whole new world for some of the younger players.
“We couldn’t have asked for more from the players, some of them have gone into some of these regions for the first time. We have been able to give them that opportunity to see Essequibo and Berbice and we plan to do more of that because we want to carry netball as far as possible”.
According to John it is the GNA’s intention to take the sport to Region 1 and other outlying areas. However that she said would be done next year.
Digicel has signed a $750,000 Memorandum of Understanding with the GNA for a period of three years, which will assist the association to host regular competitions and to also take the sport to schools.
