The Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Netball Tournament, hosted in Trinidad & Tobago, kicked off its opening weekend with a solid performance from Team Saint Lucia, who left the first two days of competition with an even 2-2 win-loss record after securing back-to-back victories against Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica at the UWI SPEC venue in St Augustine over the weekend.
Saint Lucia’s starting six, led by captain Naija Ferdinand and featuring Neriah Charlery, Sanya Emmanuel, Indiana James, Nyssa Lascaris, and Tamia Clarke, delivered consistent shooting to claim their opening win against Antigua & Barbuda on Saturday evening, with a final score of 34-14. Charlery dominated the shooting circle, sinking 31 of her 37 attempted shots, and only missed a single attempt in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, captain Ferdinand maintained a perfect shooting record, converting all three of her attempts on goal. For Antigua & Barbuda, the team made 14 out of 28 total shots to round out the final scoreline.
The next day, Saint Lucia claimed a second win against Dominica with a tighter 23-17 result. Once again, the pair of Charlery and Ferdinand led the team’s scoring: Charlery landed 13 of 16 attempts, while Ferdinand converted 10 of 12, enough to hold off a late push from Dominica. Dominica shot 53% from its 33 total attempts, falling short of matching Saint Lucia’s offensive output. Following the back-to-back wins, Netball Saint Lucia shared an update on its official social media channels, writing: “Big congrats to Team Saint Lucia on their second victory of the tournament. Not our best showing, but we got the job done, on to the next!”
After finishing in third place at the 2025 edition of the tournament, Saint Lucia faces a packed week of competition to defend its podium position. The team is scheduled to face the Cayman Islands on Monday evening, followed by a match against Grenada on Tuesday afternoon. Competition will ramp up significantly mid-week, as Saint Lucia takes on undefeated defending champions and tournament hosts Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday, before closing out its group stage play against Barbados on Thursday.
This year’s 15-player Saint Lucia squad has a distinctly young profile, with 11 competitors making their first appearance at the Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Tournament, including starting players James and Clarke. The roster draws athletes from eight different schools and multiple local communities across the island, and is led by head coach Shem Maxwell, assistant coach Jo-Ann Anderson, and team manager Alice Lynch.