Trinidad and Tobago finish 15th at Netball Youth World Cup

TRINIDAD and Tobago's under-21 netballers signed off their campaign at the Netball Youth World Cup in Gibraltar in style on September 27 at the Tercentenary Sports Hall when they defeated the hosts 45-34 to finish as the 15th best team in the tournament.

It was a match which evenly contested for the first two quarters before TT surged away in the second half to register their second victory of the tourney. Coach Kalifa McCollin's team knew they were in a fight early on as the teams were locked at 5-5 after eight minutes in a tense first quarter. By the end of the quarter, the junior Calypso Girls assumed the lead and went into the second quarter up 12-9.

Another close period ensued in the second quarter as TT edged it 10-9 to take a 22-18 lead into the halftime break. The TT girls finally got some daylight in the third quarter as they outscored Gibraltar 14-7 in the period to open up an advantageous 36-25 lead. In the final quarter, the teams traded goals as they scored nine apiece in the period to see TT coming away with the 11-point triumph.

TT goal-shoot and captain Maikea Bramble, who showed excellent form throughout the tournament, appreciated the love she and her team felt in Gibraltar.

"It was a good competition. The girls and I fought our way and we're really glad we were able to play Gibraltar today," Bramble said, after the match.

"Everyone has been super pleasant to us and super nice. The accommodation has been awesome so thank you again for having us."

Also on September 27, TT's regional counterparts Barbados ended a rough outing at the tourney when they were beaten 49-29 by Northern Ireland in the 17th-place playoff. On September 23, TT beat Barbados 58-33 on their way to finishing fourth in pool D.

The competition will conclude on September 28 when the gold and silver medal matches are contested, along with the playoff matches for the fifth and seventh spots. Jamaica will tackle Scotland in the fifth place playoff.