Calypso Girls hope to fare better in Tuesday's game two

Trinidad and Tobago women’s netball team hope to fare better in match two of the Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series against Jamaica on Tuesday.

The Calypso Girls lost their opening match of the tri-series against the Sunshine Girls by a heavy margin, 71-22, at the National Indoor Sports Arena in Jamaica on Saturday. Before that, on Friday, they went down to Jamaica’s men’s team 66-22 in an exhibition match.

The second match begins at 6.45 pm on Tuesday while the third and final meeting between both female teams gets underway on Wednesday at the same time. The visitors are also expected to face the men’s team in a final exhibition match on Friday.

After Saturday’s opener, coach Althea McCollin said she admired the team’s never-say-die attitude.

“It was a very high and keenly contested game from both teams. It was not really the score we expected but the players went out there, challenged and stuck with the game and never gave up,” she said.

Although McCollin rued the convincing defeat at the hands of the hosts, she said there were still many learning points from the one-sided match up.

The coach added, “What we want to take, well besides the aggression, is looking at our players and how they were able to stand up to the challenges and were able to press on.

“We need to focus more on the passes and the execution to the circle, players getting to the front and sticking to the game plan. Otherwise, they did well, they tried.”

After the opening loss, McCollin said there will be some tactical changes heading into Tuesday’s clash. The Jamaicans are clear favourites and would want to stamp their authority and seal the tri-series early on with a victory on Tuesday.

TT, however, are determined to put up a fight and hopefully win the second match to force a tightly contested third and final meeting on Wednesday.

“We will be switching (it up). They’re young and we’re still looking at combinations in relation to the centre court. They don’t have all the experience and the exposure,” she said.

Additionally, team captain Kalifa McCollin was substituted in the final quarter on Tuesday after suffering a slight injury. She, however, is expected to return to the court on Tuesday.

The coach confirmed, “The word from the physiotherapist (Jevon Foncette) is that she’s doing well and we expect her back on court.”