Three days into the highly anticipated Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Netball Tournament, Saint Lucia’s young female squad has maintained a flawless undefeated record, powered by a dominant 40-13 blowout victory over the Cayman Islands. The match, held on Monday, April 13 at the University of the West Indies Sport and Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC) in St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago, saw 14-year-old goal shoot Neriah Charlery steal the show with a match-leading performance.
Hailing from Blanchard, Desruisseaux, Charlery has emerged as one of the tournament’s most talked-about rising stars. Competing for club side Ruby Red Darlings, the teen has already built an impressive resume at the school level: she claimed Most Valuable Player honors for Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School’s Under-16 squad, and earned the title of best attacking player at the inter-school Under-19 championship final. Her explosive one-on-one play has left commentators and opposing defenses stunned. “Charlery of Saint Lucia, one-on-one she is devastating,” remarked the live stream commentator during the match against Cayman Islands. “Question is, how do you guard her?”
Joining Charlery as a core leader for the squad is team captain Naija Ferdinand, a seasoned competitor who already holds experience at this elite youth level. A native of Micoud, Ferdinand is a student at St Joseph’s Convent and a member of the 2 Da Max Netball Academy. With just four returning players on the roster, Ferdinand has stepped into her leadership role seamlessly, according to head coach Shem Maxwell. “She has been a good leader and able to relay instructions to her teammates when given,” Maxwell said. “And she’s always at the forefront to assist.”
The tournament marks a step up in competition for many of the Saint Lucia players, and starting centre Sanya Emmanuel has been one of the most impressive young athletes adapting to the higher intensity. Representing Ravine Claire, Soufriere and competing for the Little Sisters Netball Club, Emmanuel was named a standout performer by Maxwell through the first three days of competition. The coach highlighted that the entire squad has risen to the challenge of competing against top Caribbean youth talent after moving up from school-level competition.
“Everyone’s trying,” Maxwell noted. “It’s a task for them coming from school ages into a competition like this, but like our centre, she’s doing a brilliant job, especially in the game [Sunday, against Dominica], on different days we see each person doing it differently.”
With their undefeated streak still intact, Saint Lucia will put their perfect record to the test when they face Grenada on Tuesday afternoon. The squad will go on to meet two of the tournament’s joint title favorites, Barbados and hosts Trinidad & Tobago, in upcoming matches as they push for a tournament championship.