Calypso Girls coach pleads for assistance

SHERDON PIERRE

TT’s netball senior team head coach Wesley “Pepe” Gomes is pleading for assistance and is hopeful that better days are ahead for his team especially after their recent successes.

TT retained their Americas Federation Netball Association title on Sunday with a 65-51 victory over Barbados, which meant that the both countries have qualified for the Netball World Cup carded for July 2019, in Liverpool.

Gomes said, “We plan to go Jamaica early in October to play against them but, we haven’t planned anything after that as yet because everything is dependent on finances.

“We hope, now that we have qualified for the World Cup that corporate Trinidad and Tobago can help us.”

He continued, “We would like to attend international tournaments or host international teams so that we can prepare properly.”

He believes the accomplishments achieved could open the door for teams wanting to play against TT.

Gomes elaborated throughout the tournament about the importance of zonal marking, high-pressed defence and rotating his squad to get the best possible combination for the later stages of the tournament.

Their rigid defence closed the gap in the centre of the court forcing teams to turn over the ball or make forced passes. TT played the entire tournament unbeaten totalling 14 points from their seven matches.

The system under Coach Gomes seemed to have suited the “Calypso Girls” as they conceded the least number of goals against a team for the tournament with 194 while scoring the most (600) with a goal difference of 406 and accuracy of 91.05 per cent.

All the available players in Gomes’ squad played in every match except the last match against Barbados.

UK-based and TT’s goal-attack player Kalifa Mc Collin led the shooter’s accuracy chart with 156 goals from 164 attempts.

She was followed by her teammate and former captain Joelisa Cooper with 127 goals from 134 attempts.

Australian-based and TT star-player Samantha Wallace rounded off the top three with 256 goals from 276 attempts.

Youngster, Tahirah Hollingsworth was 17th on the table with 61 goals from 85 attempts.

The 1979 World Champions, TT defeated USA (86-29), Canada (80-26), St Maarten (95-8), Argentina (112-12), St Vincent and the Grenadines (80-26), Grenada (82-41) and Barbados (65-51).

TT’s winning squad: Daystar Swift, Kemba Duncan, Shaquanda Greene, Onella Jack, Rhonda John- Davis, Candice Guerero, Shantel and Shernece Seemungal, Samantha Wallace, Kalifa Mc Collin, Joelisa Cooper, Tahirah Hollingsworth.

Staff: Wesley “Pepe” Gomes (Coach) Grace Parkinson (Assistant Coach)Carol Gittens (Manager)Kern Meloney (Primary Care Person)and Wayne Samuel (Trainer)