At the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium on Sunday, day five of the regional netball qualifying tournament delivered a commanding performance from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines national side, nicknamed the Vincy Jewels, that put them within a single match of locking in their ticket to the October 2027 World Netball Finals scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia. The lopsided 77–52 triumph over neighboring rival Grenada was a masterclass in consistent, controlled play, with the Vincy Jewels claiming the lead across every single quarter of the contest: opening with an 18–10 first frame advantage, stretching the gap to 41–21 by halftime, extending their lead further to 63–33 at the end of the third period, before closing out the match with the final 77–52 scoreline. The result marks the team’s fifth win from six outings in the qualifying campaign, with their only blemish to date a narrow defeat against regional powerhouse Trinidad and Tobago. The 15 points the Vincy Jewels have accumulated so far cements them firmly in second place on the group standings, trailing only Trinidad and Tobago who hold an unblemished 18-point total, while sitting three points clear of joint-third placed sides Barbados and the USA, who each sit on 12 points. The Vincy Jewels’ offensive firepower was spearheaded by exceptional goal-shoot Mary-Ann Frederick, who delivered a near-perfect performance sinking 71 of her 72 total attempts; supporting her in the attacking end, goal-attack Shellisa Davis converted 2 of 4 shots, while substitute goal-shoot Joseann Antoine added 4 goals from 7 late-match attempts. For Grenada, veteran goal-shoot Lottysha Cato turned in a strong individual showing with 50 goals from 58 attempts, and goal-attack Tiffany Frederick chipped in 2 scores from her 3 opportunities. Speaking to reporters after the decisive win, Vincy Jewels head coach Natasha Baptiste-Samuel emphasized that the team’s strong run of form was rooted in deliberate, months of preparation rather than overconfidence. “We’ve been confident coming in. Not in a cocky way, but confident because of the work that we have put into preparing to come into this tournament,” she explained. She went on to note that while the squad is optimistic about securing their World Finals spot, they are not underestimating their upcoming final opponent: “We are very confident that we are definitely going to make it over the line, but even with one game remaining, it would not be easy. We are prepared for the challenge. We know that our sister island, St Lucia, they have been playing good netball in the tournament as well, and we expect nothing less when they meet us tomorrow. But we are coming out and sticking to the game plan and deliver what we are supposed to deliver.” Sunday’s slate of qualifying fixtures also featured three other high-stakes matchups: the USA notched a solid 50–34 victory over St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago extended their perfect tournament streak with a crushing 107–16 blowout of the British Virgin Islands, and host nation Barbados edged past Canada by a 51–40 final score. The highly anticipated final group stage clash between St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. on Monday, with a World Finals spot on the line for the Vincy Jewels if they secure a win.
SVG 1 game away from securing spot in Netball World Cup finals
