Barbados goal shooter Lydia Bishop hitting the target despite a block by an opponent.

by SHERRYLYN CLARKE

DESPITE a 55-36 victory over St Vincent and the Grenadines in the first netball Test on Friday night in the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, there is clearly cause for concern in the Barbados camp.

This team is the same one that will be competing at the Commonwealth Games in less then two months and there is a lot of work to be done.

The starting seven – Lydia Bishop (goal shooter), Latonya Blackman (goal attack), Julie Phillips (wing attack), Chekirah Shepherd (centre), Jacqueline Browne (wing defence), Denese Alleyne (goal defence) and Wanda Agard-Belgrave (goalkeeper) – looked lazy and sluggish.

Whether it was the fact that they were playing on a rubber floor, struggling with the new positions, or because they were short of speed work, the first half of the game crawled along at a snail's pace.

The Barbados and England Under-21 teams played at a faster pace when they
met last year.

Blackman, who played as a defender at the last World Championships, seemed unsure at the shooter position and missed some easy shots under the pole.

She finished with seven from 12. Somehow, the team managed to cut Shepherd out of the game after she delivered the centre pass, but each time she touched the ball, she was the only player who looked into the circle and found Bishop for the goal.

Bishop was the lone bright spot for the Barbados team in the first half, and was consistent throughout the game, finishing with 33 goals from 37 attempts.

Captain Phillips was sluggish and guilty of looking back too many times when she had to pass the ball.

At the other end, Alleyne and Agard-Belgrave struggled to contain the attack. Indeed, St Vincent's shooter Joenna Christopher (28 from 32) gave a very good demonstration on how to mark one's opponent and manoeuvre to get the pass. She left Agard-Belgrave flat-footed and looking sheepish at times. Alleyne was also slow to recover once she committed herself.

If the St Vincent team was any stronger, it might have been a different story. Still, they kept pace 12-9 at the first quarter and after Barbados' four-goal run stuttered, clawed their way back to trail 18-19 before the Bajan lasses stepped up to reach half-time leading 26-19.

With 12:48 minutes left on the clock in the third quarter, Phillips was the last of the players to fall on a wet spot on the court which had to be constantly mopped as the roof leaked.

This brought Samantha Browne into the game. Blackman was at wing attack and Laurel Browne came in at goal attack. Alleyne was replaced by Jacqui Browne and Alicia Harding came on at wing defence.

The team played a completely different game.There was a new intensity, speed and a more flowing game on court. Young Samantha Browne showed she is really one for the present and the future, not only playing the game, but thinking it as well. She kept her cool and made some good passes to Bishop and Browne.

Full credit must also go to Laurel who had a solid game at goal attack. She missed only one of her 16 attempts and gave Bishop good support.

The defence seemed to find a bit of legs as well, but it was the centre court which really did most of the work in preventing the ball from reaching St Vincent.

After Barbados pulled ahead at 36-22 in the third quarter, the contest was virtually over, but it was not the best display.

For St Vincent, Leanna Lewis was a perfect eight from eight at goal attack, while veteran Dellarice Duncan did not make any attempts at goal attack.

* sherrylynclarke@nationnews.com