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RACHAEL THOMPSON-KING
Newsgathering Editor – Sport
Trinidad and Tobago’s Kelsea Gardner was named the “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) of the Jean Pierre Caribbean Netball Youth tournament, which concluded on Friday night.
The centre/wing attack helped T&T play unbeaten to retain the title in the 22nd edition of the competition, which unfolded at the University of the West Indies Sport and Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC) in St Augustine over the past week.
Gardner was also among three T&T players named among the top 16 players in the tournament. The others were shooter Curleen Lara and defender Khemyah Anderson.
On the opening day (April 11), the junior “Calypso Girls”, captained by Jerusha Des Vignes, began their campaign with a cool win over the Cayman Islands and, the following day, defeated Grenada, 32-12.
The local team had a day off on Monday, then returned to take the next four matches comfortably against Dominica (44-9), St Lucia (43-20), Antigua & Barbuda (51-9) and finally Barbados (42-21).
For manager Jody Sprott, winning the tournament and defending the title was a proud achievement for the team.
“Repeating as champions reflects their discipline, consistency, and determination, especially with the pressure of being the team to beat,” she said, adding that the overall performance was excellent.
“The girls showed resilience, unity, and a strong understanding of their roles, growing in confidence with each game and playing for one another every step of the way.”
The champion junior “Calypso Girls” were again coached by Sojourner “Suzie” Hyles-Lewis and Simone Morgan, two former national players. The supporting technical staff also included physiotherapist/trainer Runako Gittens and massage therapist David Mack.
“I also commend the technical staff for their dedication and preparation. Their guidance, structure, and in-game adjustments played a key role in the team’s success.
“This was truly a collective effort, and I am very proud of the entire team,” said a beaming Sprott.
Their effort on the sideline saw T&T dominate the awards ceremony which followed the final match on the last night of the exciting regional tournament.
Lara was unsurprisingly named the “Best Individual Shooter”.
Apart from being the leading shooter during competition, she topped the individual shooting competition held on Thursday with an impressive score of 45. She was followed by Azariah Alleyne of
Grenada is second with 35 goals, while Naija Ferdinand of St Lucia took third after winning a tie-break with 41 against Trinidad and Tobago’s Venus Kirk (30), both of whom finished with 33 points. The combined scores of Lara, Kirk and Zewditu Alexander, who placed 11th with 27, helped T&T claim the team shooting crown with 105 goals. Grenada followed closely in second position with 98, while St Lucia earned third place with 87. The remaining rankings saw Dominica finish in fourth place with 78, just ahead of Barbados in fifth with 75. Antigua and Barbuda took the sixth spot with 68, and the Cayman Islands completed the standings in seventh position with 59.
In team awards, the host team picked the best defensive team, the team with the best goal average and the best-uniformed team.
At the end of the night, T&T, led by captain Des Vignes, raised the championship trophy as the DJ pumped Machel Montano’s 2026 Carnival Roah March winning contribution, “Encore”, very much suitable as the junior netballers did well in their performance to repeat as champion.
2026 Honour roll
Top 3 placings
1st Place (Champions): T&T (30 pts)
2nd Place: Barbados (25 pts)
3rd Place: Grenada (21 pts)
Team Specialty Awards
Best Team on Parade: Grenada
Best Uniformed Team: T&T
Most Disciplined Team: Cayman Islands
Best Team Spirit: Barbados
Most Improved Team: Cayman Islands
Most Accurate Shooting Team Overall: St Lucia
Team with Best Goal Average: T&T
Best Defending Team: T&T
Shooting Competition
1st Place: T&T (Curleen Lara, Zewditu Alexander, Venus Kirk)
2nd Place: Grenada (Reshonna Francis, Azariah Alleyne, Kamia James-Lewis)
3rd Place: Saint Lucia (Naija Ferdinand, Neriah Charlery, Xanalua Emmanus)
Most Accurate Shooter: Curleen Lara (45/61)
Shooter with Highest No of Goals: Curleen Lara (45/61)
Individual awards
MVP of the Tournament: Kelsea Gardner
President’s Award: Asanya Lewis (Cayman Islands), 15 yrs
Youngest Player: Anara Alleyne-Toussaint, 12 yrs
Team MVPs
Kelsea Gardner (T&T), Jada Martin (Antigua & Barbuda), Cherish Gibson (Barbados), Seriah Frederick (Cayman Islands), Deanna Jacob (Dominica), Reshonna Francis (Grenada), Neriah Charlery (St Lucia),
Top 16 players of the Tournament
Kelsea Gardner (T&T), Curleen Lara (T&T), Khemyah Anderson (T&T), Tyana Telemaque (Antigua & Barbuda), Jada Martin (Antigua & Barbuda), Neriah Charley (Saint Lucia), Naija Ferdinand (Saint Lucia), Isabella Emilienne (Saint Lucia), Da’niqua Howell (Cayman Islands), Seriah Frederick (Cayman Islands), Kaylenn George (Commonwealth of Dominica), Aysha Li Phillip-Shepherd (Grenada), Nashauna Noel (Grenada), Hailey Roach (Barbados), Cherish Gibson (Barbados), Anara Alleyne-Toussaint (Barbados),
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