Saint Lucia’s Piton Sparks got their third win in a row on Tuesday evening at the fifth Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) International Netball Series. Saint Lucia handed Antigua & Barbuda their first loss, 45-33, after the Antiguans had rattled off consecutive wins over Anguilla, Montserrat and Guyana.
With the tournament into its fourth day at the Tanteen Netball Facility in St George’s, Grenada, the score flattered the Sparks, who never really pulled away from Antigua & Barbuda until the final quarter. After the first period, Saint Lucia led 10-7. And although the Wadagli girls pulled within one, the Sparks led 18-14 at halftime. It was 32-25 at the end of three, but a 13-8 final frame gave Saint Lucia a 12-goal triumph.
Jo-Ann Anderson led the way for Saint Lucia, with 16 goals from 19 shots, 84% shooting. Melika Destang hit 15-24, a significant drop-off in efficiency for her. She had previously shot better than 80% across two games, but hit just 62.5% against Antigua & Barbuda. Player-coach Shem Maxwell converted 14 of 19 shots (73.7%) on goal. Semaj Marguerite was not used as a shooter.
After Tuesday’s action, there are just three teams unbeaten in the competition. The others are defending champions St Vincent & the Grenadines and Barbados. On Tuesday, the title holders beat Dominica 57-40, Barbados trounced Anguilla 65-27, the Cayman Islands demolished Montserrat 71-10 for their first win, and hosts Grenada beat Guyana 69-16.
On Wednesday, Saint Lucia have what should be a winnable fixture against Anguilla, whose only victory so far was against Guyana. Barbados will take on St Vincent & the Grenadines in a game that should go some way towards deciding the final destination of the Gloria Ballantyne Trophy.
