After the unavailability of indoor facilities forced a number of changes to this year’s league season, Barbados Netball Association President Nisha Craigwell, said players and administrators have continued to press ahead despite the challenges.
With major refurbishment work continuing at the Netball Stadium at Waterford and the unavailability of the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, the BNA has been forced to play all of its games at outdoor courts and to combine a number of divisions.
“I mean we have had our share of challenges, mainly due to the weather and a lack of venues for us to actually complete the fixture, but be that as it may, our netballers are playing,” Craigwell said.
“We’ve gone on to the CAC Games and have played on three occasions so far, so while we’ve had our issues, the season has continued and from here we’re hoping that there is improvement.”
The BNA president said there have been minimal complaints from the players, who are generally happy once they are able to play. She described their attitude towards the situation as extremely patient.
While the season is continuing, the BNA boss says there is still no concrete word as to when the work at Waterford will be completed.
“We haven’t had any official word on when we will be moving in, but I have seen the work that is being done and we’re getting there slowly. Additionally, we also have the World Cup qualifier in Barbados that we are also looking forward to, so that’s actually the big picture for us this year.
“This also makes the CAC Games very important because it gives us the opportunity to measure where we are at, so that we have time to go back to the drawing board and refocus if needed,” she added.
After winning their opening CAC Games encounter in the Dominican Republic, Barbados was defeated by regional powerhouses Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in back-to-back matches. While Craigwell says any defeat is disappointing given the team’s high expectations, she remains positive.
“We’ve held our own up to about halftime during both of the defeats and after that you could see the difference between the teams. Be that as it may, we need to get past the fact that we’ve lost those games and focus on who we have to face in the future,” she said.
“It is for us to still secure a podium finish which will be an improvement from our last effort. I have no doubt that we can bring home at least the bronze medal for Barbados.”
Craigwell is also hopeful the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium will become more accessible for netballers, particularly the national team in the build up to the World Cup qualifier, which runs from October 19 to 26.
(KH)
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