Netball officials savour OECS title

President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association Dellarice Duncan and Coach of the victorious St Vincent and the Grenadines Under-23 Netball team Godfrey Harry are savouring the 2012 ECCB/OECS title,{{more}} especially in light of the circumstances which unfolded that eventually saw the team making the Grenada trip.

Both credited the last ditch intervention of Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, which helped in the team getting to Grenada to realize their thirteenth title at the sub-regional level.

Speaking at the VIP Lounge at the E.T. Joshua Airport late Thursday evening, Duncan said: “Before the team left, when we spoke to the girls, we told them to bring back a win, not only for St Vincent and the Grenadines obviously, but in particular for the Prime Minister.”

Duncan, in outlining Gonsalves’ input stated: “When we approached him at the last minute to assist us, he came flying and we were helped and he made it possible for us to go to Grenada and we want to dedicate this win to him.

“We were expecting some funds from another source and that did not come through, so we had to approach the Prime Minister to assist us to get to Grenada and he did what he had to do, obviously for us to get the funding from the National Lotteries Authority; we could not have done it without him,” Duncan added.

Duncan said that having had sponsorship from the National Lotteries Authority towards the hosting of the Jean Pierre Caribbean Netball Association Under-16 tournament, earlier this year, her organization thought it could have worked against their chances of sending the team to Grenada.

Adding his bit, Harry said, “I must congratulate and say thank you to the Prime Minister, through the Lottery, for ensuring that the Under-23 team went to this tournament and it has borne fruit in that we were able to bring home the silverware.”

Also speaking at last Thursday’s welcome were Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture Cecil Mc Kie, Parliamentary Secretary in that ministry Elvis Charles and Captain of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team Ruth Ann Williams.

Also on hand to welcome back the ladies were other netball officials, as well as parents, relatives and close friends of members of the team and well wishers.

St Vincent and the Grenadines played unbeaten in the tournament to reclaim the title they last won in 2007.

Next year’s tournament is set for Antigua and Barbuda.(RT)