Kimale Evans On Bermuda Longtails And More
Kimale Evans, the Netball Bermuda president, said the Bermuda Longtails women’s national team are looking to build on their momentum after earning a world ranking as they prepare for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, this summer.
Bermuda sit 20th in the world rankings and top five in the Americas Region after winning a silver medal in the Battle of Isles tournament held in St Eustatius and St Maarten in October last year.
Participation is determined by the World Ranking system, with the top five ranked countries in the Americas Region, along with the host country.
Although Bermuda were not ranked during the original qualifying period, St Vincent and the Grenadines have withdrawn for the next ranked country, with Bermuda becoming eligible.
The CAC Games will run from July 24 to August 8.
Evans said confidence is high in the camp after their successful Battle of the Isles campaign, with the team winning six matches and losing twice to regional powerhouse Canada.
“It was exciting to compete at the international level again after such a long time,” Evans told Bernews.
“We had to play a certain number of games to earn our world ranking.
“We knew Canada were going to be tough team. We always knew they would be the favourites.
“We had a patient wait for our world ranking and were ecstatic to get in the top 20. We were overjoyed and pleasantly surprised.”
Aside from the CAC Games, the Longtails are also set to compete at the Americas Netball World Cup qualifiers in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in October.
Two teams are expected to advance to the Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, next year.
“We’ve been very strategic amount our next steps,” Evans added.
“The players are raring to go, and we have others who couldn’t make the last tournament who will come into consideration.
“We want to put together our strongest team ever to contend in these upcoming tournaments.
“We want to thank for Bermuda Government, who played an important role in ensuring we got the additional funding to participate in our last tournament.”
