Croney eyes CAC Games as crucial test ahead of World Cup qualifiers

National netball captain Damisha Croney believes this year’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in the Dominican Republic will provide a vital opportunity for Barbados’ squad to measure its progress ahead of a major World Cup qualifying campaign.

The games, scheduled for July 24-28, will take place just three months before Barbados hosts the Americas Netball Regional Qualifiers for the 2027 Netball World Cup, adding further significance to the team’s preparations.

Speaking during Sunday’s team reveal for the CAC and Commonwealth Games squads at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Croney said the squad remains determined to improve its international standing and is targeting a medal performance at the CAC Games.

She acknowledged that the team is not satisfied with its current world ranking and views the upcoming competition as an important step in its development.

“The squad that was selected is definitely well rounded. We have both youth and experience in the likes of Shonette Azore Bruce, who’s been around for a long time and has a wealth of knowledge.

“We also have younger players like Trinity Gibson, Azaria Alleyne and Kijana Myisha Johnson,who just came out of the Under-21 team,” she explained. “With that merger we expect to get good results.

Croney noted that with some countries choosing to divide their squads between the Commonwealth Games and the CAC Games, Barbados has a valuable opportunity to climb the international rankings and break back into the top 12. 

“As you can imagine, it’s easier to drop your ranking than to improve your ranking, but the opportunity that we have now going up against Jamaica and Trinidad, who are also participating in the Commonwealth Games and them having to split their resources, it gives us a greater chance to go there and give a better showing and medaling. We’re really grateful for the opportunity to have more games.

“It’s very important for us to get out there and work on our combinations, getting the necessary match work, because the qualifiers are just a few months after in October. It’s a good stepping stone to prepare us for World Cup qualifiers,” she added.

Team:

Trinity Gibson, Salisha Auguste, Brianna Holder, Jada Smith, Akeena Stoute, Faye Agard, Damisha Croney, Stephian Shepherd, Azaria Alleyne, Trishan Deane, Kijana Johnson and Shonette Azore-Bruce

(KH)