TT handballers lose opening match 44-11 to Mexico

TT’s men’s team handball opened their account at the Men’s North America and Caribbean (NAC) Emerging Nations Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with a one-sided 44-11 defeat to Mexico.

Sherwin Jackson was TT’s leading scorer with four goals, taken from 11 attempts, while Joshua King (3/9), Derice Biggart (2/9), Ronaldo Scott (1/3) and Christoff Phillip (1/6) rounded off the Caribbean team’s goal tally after a total of 42 attempts.

TT trailed 20-3 to the Mexicans at half-time and while they added an additional five in the second half, they were no match for the North Americans, who added another 24 to give them a handsome goal-advantage early in the group standings.

Israel Fernandez, Sayyed Diaz and Luis Ortiz Leon were particularly clinical for the Mexico team, finishing with figures of 10/12, 7/8 and 6/6, respectively, while seven other players pitched in to see them to an unassailable lead. Mexico took 59 efforts, while TT weren’t too far behind with 42 attempts.

For all their shots, Mexico were still far more accurate than TT, converting 75 per cent of their chances, compared to the latter’s 26 per cent.

Dominica and Canada also played their opening matches yesterday and the result showed another one-sided affair, with the North American team winning 48-11 to take a big early lead in Group A.

Barbados had the unenviable task of playing the United States, while St Kitts and Nevis took on the hosts Dominican Republic, both after press time last evening.

TT will face Martinique in a must-win match.

A runner-up finish in the group will see the team placed against the winner of Group D – which includes the United States, Barbados and Cuba – in the quarter-final round.

The overall winner will book a place at the 2019 IHF Emerg­ing Na­tions Cham­pi­onship in Geor­gia this June.