by BARRY ALLEYNE

THE BARBADOS UNDER-16 netball team leaves for Trinidad today with high hopes of defending the Caribbean Netball Association title they won last year.

Last year they beat the powerful Jamaicans to take the title and coach Sonia Banfield said every team will be coming to beat Barbados this time around.

"We have been talking a lot about what confidence can do for a team, but I also always remind the players that it is they who have to go out and do the job," she said.

This 12-member Barbados team will be no walk-over, especially knowing Jamaica, the powerhouse of Caribbean netball, will be out for revenge.

The team has been training since July, and though training has been reduced from three times a week to only two sessions, Banfield believes quite a bit of work has been put in.

"We don't plan to come in overconfident because we played unbeaten last year," Banfield said. "Just like last year, we have urged the players to take one game at a time and let the coaching staff analyse the other teams as the tournament goes on, so we can capitalise on any weaknesses we pick up along the way."

This year's event, again named after Trinidad's legendary player Jean Pierre, has attracted teams from Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and the hosts.

According to Banfield, the eight players who were part of the championship experience last year have been talking to each other about what it takes to win. Therefore she expects them to communicate this to the other members of the team.

"I expect a lot from this team, and I know they can win. They know they can win, and they are ready, so the main job of the coach will be to prevent them from being overconfident," Banfield said.