The Jean Pierre Under-16 Netball Championships, hosted in Trinidad, has seen one undisputed standout through its first four rounds of competition: Barbados’ junior national squad, nicknamed the Baby Gems. The team has maintained a perfect unbeaten streak, closing out their latest match with a statement victory that underscores their early dominance in the regional tournament.
In their fourth outing of the competition, the Baby Gems delivered a commanding 39–13 win against Antigua and Barbuda. From the opening whistle, Barbados seized full control of the court, never once ceding the lead to their opponents. They set an aggressive pace early, building a 12–3 advantage by the end of the first quarter, and steadily expanded their gap over the following two periods. By halftime, the scoreboard read 23–7 in favor of Barbados, which stretched further to 32–9 heading into the final quarter, allowing the team to close out the match comfortably without any late-game pressure.
This latest win follows a series of solid performances that have kept the squad’s unbeaten record intact. Just one day before their defeat of Antigua and Barbuda, the Baby Gems notched their third victory against the Cayman Islands, finishing with a 42–17 final score. Mirroring their consistent pattern of play, Barbados held the lead from start to finish in that match, going up 8–4 after the first quarter, 21–6 at the half, and 33–11 by the end of the third period before wrapping up the win.
On the opening day of competition, held at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine campus, the Baby Gems kicked off their campaign with two back-to-back wins. On Monday, they secured a 23–15 triumph over Dominica after a controlled, steady performance. Though their lead narrowed slightly to 11–8 at halftime and 18–13 after three quarters, Barbados pulled away in the final frame to seal the result. Their tournament opener, played against Grenada, ended in a 20–12 win to launch the squad’s undefeated run.