Castries East are Netball champs

The St Lucia National Netball Association Inter-District Netball Competition ended over the weekend, with a formidable Castries East team with national players on board emerging as champions.

In the final played last Saturday at the Vigie Multi-Purpose Sports Complex, Castries East defeated Canaries 38-25. Castries led 10-6 after the first quarter and at the half went ahead 19-13. After the third quarter the score line was 29-21 in favour of East Castries who went on to win 38-25.

Prior to the final, Soufriere and Anse La Raye squared off in the Third Place Playoff. Anse La Raye actually led 12-11 after the first quarter, but at half time fell behind 24-14. At the end of the third quarter Soufriere led 32-26 and went on to win 46-34.

Carol Wilby-Maxwell who is one of the coaches for East Castries had no problem expressing her emotions following the final. “It was a great win,” she said. “I knew that our girls had it in them to win this tournament.”

Having lost to Canaries in the netball rama which preceded the tournament, Maxwell said, “this was a vengeance match because we had to win to show them [Canaries] we are capable of beating them and that win they got from us was…call it a fluke.”

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Youth Development and Sports, Fortuna Belrose, who was present at the final had high praise for the netball association. “Well done to the girls,” she said. “I think we really want to commend the netball association for this outstanding tournament. It was a different tournament because it required different skills in terms of you working together with other persons from your communities who belong to different clubs.”

She went on to say, “the ministry will continue to be associated with this sort of initiative, where we encourage communities to come out and support sports.”

For winning the tournament Castries East received a cheque for $1,000 while Canaries took home $750.

What’s next for the St Lucia National Netball Association? President Rufina Paul announced that the association will have their annual general meeting/elections in September and requested that everyone be present when it takes place.