After the curtains closed on this year’s Jean Pierre Netball Championships, the Barbados Under-16 national netball team — affectionately known as the “Baby Gems” — has come home with a solid second-place finish, and their assistant coach is optimistic about what this result means for the program’s future.
For the second year running, the young Caribbean squad finished as runners-up behind host nation Trinidad and Tobago, a repeat of the 2023 tournament results that speaks to the team’s consistent performance at the regional youth level. The Baby Gems entered the final match of the tournament on a high, having secured wins in all five of their earlier matches to set up a title decider against the unbeaten Trinidad and Tobago side.
In a tight opening quarter, the Barbados team held the upper hand, taking a narrow 9-8 lead over their opponents. But Trinidad and Tobago, buoyed by home crowd support, shifted into a higher gear in the second and third quarters, flipping the scoreboard to a 19-14 advantage at halftime and extending their lead to 33-16 by the end of the third quarter. The host side held onto their momentum through the final quarter, closing out the match with a 42-21 win to claim the regional title.
In an exclusive interview with local media outlet Barbados TODAY, assistant coach Lydia Bishop reflected on the team’s performance, emphasizing that the runners-up finish should not overshadow the significant progress the young players have made throughout the tournament. “We entered the championship with the goal of taking home the top prize, and it’s disappointing that we didn’t hit that mark,” Bishop explained. “But what stands out to me is that game after game, we saw clear improvement from every single one of our girls. Even in the final against Trinidad, there were stretches where I thought we played some of our best netball of the whole tournament.”
Looking ahead, Bishop identified key areas the program will target in upcoming training cycles to close the gap on regional rivals. “We’ve got clear work to do to strengthen our shooting and attacking play, particularly in the wing attack position and across the centre court,” she noted.
Bishop also laid out the next steps for the coaching staff, saying the team will first finalize a full tournament report to submit to the Barbados Netball Association. With a number of current players eligible to return to the Under-16 squad for future competitions, the report will help shape upcoming training and selection processes as the program works toward its next shot at the regional title.
Despite falling short of the gold medal, Bishop said the foundation the young squad has built over the past two years leaves her confident that the program is on the right track. “All in all, we’ve seen how far these girls have come, we know what gaps we need to fill, and we’re ready to get to work. The future for this group is really bright,” she added.