Annett Daley the head coach of Jamaica’s Under 21 netball team has welcomed the upcoming three-game series against their South African counterparts, dubbed SPAR Baby Proteas, as both teams ramp up preparations for the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar in September.

The series tips-off this weekend at the National Indoor Sports Centre with each game to be played as a prelude to the Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series between the Sunshine Girls and SPAR Proteas.

The three matches will be double-headers. The Under 21 teams will play first and then the senior teams. The match times are January 18 – 3:00 pm, January 22 – 3:30 pm and January 25 – 3:00pm, while the senior team matches will be played at 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 6:00 pm respectively.

Coach Daley who is welcoming the series says the aim is to expose the players to different styles of play:

“This series is a welcome one for the Under 21 team. The girls have not been playing in any form of competition since they went to Guadeloupe for the qualifiers, and there were some members for the Guadeloupe team that have stopped playing. So right now it’s about just putting the teams together based on those who were there before and the new members coming into the squad. It is also about exposing the girls to the different styles of play.

“For this particular Under 21, I call them the COVID babies or the COVID team, because they ended up in a time frame where even for Under 16 they didn’t get any under 16 competition because it was during COVID and their high school and also college experiences were interrupted because of COVID. So the level of competition that we would want them to have experienced prior, that they do not have. But the amazing thing is that our local coaches have done a wonderful job with these young ladies especially in the high schools and as a result we have an abundance of talent,”

“So my task right now is just to work with the other coaches to ensure that these girls are understanding the game, and this particular series will give us a benchmark from which to work so that we are ready for the world championship” said Daley.

The U21 team will be led by captain Roxonna McLean who is joined in defense by Tiana Reid, Crystal Nicholson, Fentonian Henry and Evelyn Smith.

At centre court will be Jessica Champlain, Shaqwan Hamilton, Deandra Edwards, De-Eziah Martin and Mikeala Walker while the shooting unit comprises Kelliann Hunter, Leneice Williams, Nickiesha Powell, Kaydeen Gordon and Jada Ricketts

The 2025 Netball World Youth Cup will take place from September 19-28.

Jamaica will face England, Tonga, Wales and Sri Lanka in Pool C, while the South Africans have been drawn in Pool D against Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji and Malawi.