Jose Marti on a roll in schoolgirls’ netball

JOSE MARTI High's netballers continued their fine form this season in the ISSA urban schoolgirls netball competition with two wins against Merl Grove High in Zone C action on Monday.

Jose Marti's junior whipped Merl Grove 34-8 before the seniors closed the deal with a 49-8 victory.

The wins put the Phillip Pinnock-coached teams closer to the second round of the competition.

After winning all four matches in the zone so far, the junior team has emerged champions of the group. Their seniors, despite losing earlier in the competition to Immaculate Conception High, look set to finish second in the group and book their second round berth. A victory over the winless Dunoon Technical on Friday will guarantee that second round spot.

Pinnock, who has been the netball coach at Jose Marti since 2016, is very upbeat about his team's performances so far in the competition.

"Both teams have been doing very well so far and I am very proud of the girls as when the season started the objective was to get to the second round and they are right there," said Pinnock.

A year ago the senior team placed third in the competition and Pinnock thinks his team can go further this time.

"We have three members who are part of the national under-21 development squad, centre Tamaria Smith, goal defence Diandra Edwards and wing defence Asharia Sibbles. Their vast experience is making a big difference," the Jose Marti coach said, while adding that these players have been playing with the team for the past six years.

"In the junior team, I must also single out the likes of 14-year-old Jada Campbell and Taneisha Silbourne who are shining brightly, and I really expect the team to go very deep in the competition," Pinnock said.

In other junior matches played on Monday, Camperdown High edged Excelsior High 10-9, Vauxhall High defeated St Andrew Technical 28-4 and St Catherine High cruised by Cedar Grove Academy 26-10.

In senior action, St Andrew Technical had a big 39-2 win over Vauxhall.