The 2024 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) International Netball Series got underway on Sunday with a resounding win for the home team, Saint Lucia.
The national team thrashed Montserrat 66-9 to highlight a slate of four matches at the Beausejour Indoor Facility.
Saint Lucia dominated every facet of the matchup, playing stout defense and getting shots off at will against one of the weaker teams in the competition.
Shooting has been a sore point for Saint Lucia at several levels.
However, returning to the national team after a lengthy absence, Merlessa Alfred directly addressed that issue, converting 31 of 33 attempts on goal.
Dasha Eugene made 12 of 14, and Semaj Marguerite 10-11. The hosts also tried Melika Destang and Shem Maxwell as shooters.
Overall, Saint Lucia shot 66 of 79, 83.54 percent. That was compared to 42.86 percent for their opponents, who attempted just 21 shots in total.
Despite the relative ease of the victory, Team Saint Lucia captain Safiya Paul told St. Lucia Times that there were some key takeaways from the game, as they were able to get in some experimentation with lineups and positions.
“We were able to try a few combinations to see what works and what doesn’t work,” she explained. “So definitely the ones that don’t work, we’re definitely not going to do them in the coming matches, because they won’t match up to the teams that we have coming up.”
The OECS / ECCB tournament plays out over just eight days, with matches every evening at Beausejour. Paul said that an appreciation of the compressed schedule has led to an emphasis on physical stamina and recovery techniques.
“So the good thing is that we did a lot of fitness,” Paul told St. Lucia Times.
“We’ve improved that from our last time around. So we’re confident that we have the endurance for the entire tournament.
But we definitely have to do the things, like now we’re going to the ice bath to make sure that our muscles can repair quickly. Because as you said, every day we have a match, so we can’t take that for granted and act like as if you know we have time to settle and get ready. It’s just game time all the time, so definitely that’s what we are up to.”
Three of the four games on the opening day provided lopsided results. The Cayman Islands demolished Anguilla 90-14, and St Vincent & the Grenadines decimated the Commonwealth of Dominica 71-32. In the only close fixture, Antigua & Barbuda eked out a 39-37 win over Grenada.
