Sasher-Gay Henry, head coach of Jamaica’s national senior netball team, has made it clear that the Sunshine Girls will be aiming to stamp their authority during the four-match series against rivals England Rose as they set their sights on leapfrogging their opponents in the international rankings.

The Sunshine Girls and the Roses are both tied on 187 rating points, with the latter ranking third, one spot above the Sunshine Girls, due to having played eight more international matches.

However, a series victory for the Jamaicans over England could elevate them to third place in the world rankings.

The series will see the Jamaicans travelling to England for the first two matches, scheduled for November 16 and 17. The return games will take place at National Indoor Sports Centre in Jamaica on November 25 and 26.

“This series is very important for us, because it is one that we know will carry a lot of ranking value, and so it is something that we are looking forward to,” said Henry. “We are looking forward to improving our performance and our position in the international rankings.”

“I am excited that we are getting this opportunity to play a team of this class. It has been a while and we have not had enough international games, especially on our home ground, so definitely we are looking forward to it,” Henry added.

Henry, who took over the position from Connie Francis in January, will be coaching the Sunshine Girls for the second time. She has previously served as co-coach of the national side along with Marvette Anderson in 2018.

Henry, along with Anderson, led the Sunshine Girls team to a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Henry has indicated that they will be assembling a very strong team for the series, which will include a blend of youth and experience.

“We will have few new players and also our experience because it is good to bring in our younger ones for them to grow, as they will become the future of our netball in years to come,” she stated.

Jamaica has eight players that recently competed in Suncorp Super Netball in Australia, including captain and goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler. Henry has confirmed that most of these players will be available for the series.

“The players are excited because they have been out of international competition, especially for the ones who play locally, as they don’t get the opportunity to play at this level enough, and so bringing them in and getting them used to this kind of competition is something that we are looking forward to,” Henry explained.

In addition to Fowler, other overseas-based Jamaican players available for the series include Shamera Sterling, Latanya Wilson, Shimona Nelson, Jodi-Ann Ward, Romelda Aiken, Shanice Beckford, and Kadie-Ann Dehaney.

The Sunshine Girls are also scheduled to participate in the FAST5, which will be held in New Zealand before hosting South Africa in a three-Test series in January.

Henry has lauded Netball Jamaica for its efforts in securing more international matches for the Sunshine Girls team.

“I must big up Netball Jamaica for allowing us to get this opportunity to play this series. Most times we are the only country outside of the top five teams in the world that do not play regular international games,” she said. “Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa are playing a lot of international series, so having this series in November, and having the Fast5 Series in November, and having South Africa here in January is a big thing for us,” she reasoned.