BLACKMAN?& GOLLOP are keen to upgrade their runners-up spot in last year’s Pine Hill Dairy Primary Schools Netball Competition.
Yesterday, when the 2014 edition bounced off with 45 out of 69 schools taking part in the parade held at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, Blackman & Gollop won the rally competition with a team comprising only class three students.
Last year, they ended second to Boscobel in the final. But, yesterday the relatively new primary school took the rally in sudden death 2-1 over former multiple league champions, St Giles. The scores were locked 1-1 at regular time.
Earlier, Blackman & Gollop had reached the finals by setting a record of crushing St Angela’s 10-0 in the five minutes allotted to a match. St Giles had defeated Reynold Weekes 4-2 in a much closer game.
President of the Barbados Netball Association, Nisha Craigwell, in addressing the opening ceremony, pointed to the fact that all of the current national players had passed through the primary school programme.
Craigwell also complimented the sponsors, Pine Hill Dairy, for a record of 32 unbroken years of rendering assistance to the programme.
“This support has helped Barbados to reach a world ranking of ninth and with the continuous support of sponsors like Pine Hill Dairy and the contribution from players like you, Barbados’ netball stands a very good chance of moving from ninth to first in the world,” said Craigwell.
The best turned out team at the parade was Bay Primary with national players, Laurel Browne and Shonica Wharton, dressed in full national gear, being part of the ceremony.
The league action begins in earnest up north today with 11 games slated to be contested on the hard court at Speightstown. (KB)
