THE 2023 Netball World Cup is almost here, and to help count down to the tournament, Rookie Me Central will be previewing all the competing teams and seeing how they might fair at the tournament.

Today’s focus is on the Trinidad & Tobago Calypso Girls.

HISTORY OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO AT THE NETBALL WORLD CUP

Trinidad & Tobago has a rich history at the Netball World Cup, competing in the inaugural event back in Eastbourne, 1963. There, the nation went onto finish fourth.

Incredibly, Trinidad & Tobago is the only nation outside of Australia and New Zealand to win a Netball World Cup, sharing the title with those two nations at Port of Spain. In the most recent World Cup, Trinidad & Tobago recorded a ninth placed finish and are currently sitting in 11th in the world.

RECENT HISTORY

Since beating Northern Ireland in the ninth placed playoff match of the World Cup, Trinidad & Tobago lost a 3-0 series to Jamaica, and failed to to win a match at the Commonwealth Games, including losing to Northern Ireland in the last match.

In the Netball World Cup Qualifiers, Trinidad & Tobago finished second overall in the Americas region, only behind top five nation, Jamaica. The Calypso Girls also had a recent warmup tournament at the CAC Games where they took on a host of nations across the Americas.

KEY PLAYERS

Though the Calypso Girls are still missing star shooter Sam Wallace, the nation still has some quality netballers at its disposal. Defender Shaquanda Greene-Noel is one of the most entertaining players in world netball and again will be the key to restricting opposition goal shooters.

Leading from the front is co-captain Afeisha Noel and Joelisa Cooper who provide much needed experience for the Calypso Girls. Daystar Swift and Jameela McCarthy are others with serious international experience, while star track and field talent Alena Brooks is earmarked as one to watch from the nation.

Incredibly, Cooper, Noel and Swift are the only three players in the 2023 Netball World Cup squad from the 2019 edition.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO FIXTURE (start times local)

Friday 28th July – 9am – New Zealand

Saturday 29th July – 6pm – Singapore

Sunday 30th July – 4pm – Uganda

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO SQUAD

Alena Brooks, Tia Bruno, Joelisa Cooper, Tiana Dillon, Oprah Douglas, Shaquanda Greene-Noel, Jameela McCarthy, Jeresia McEchrane, Shaniya Morgan, Afeisha Noel, Shantel Seemungal, Daystar Swift

Reserves: Chantael Perry-McEwan, Jenelle Richardson, Afiya Vincent