Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
Jamaica's vice-captain and goal attack Simone Forbes (second right) grabs the ball ahead of England's goal defence Sonia Mkoloma (second left) and goalkeeper Geva Mentor, while Jamaica's captain and goal shooter Elaine Davis (left) looks on during the final game of the tri-Test series at the National Indoor Spors Centre last night. Jamaica won 41-40 to take the series 2-1.
THE SUNSHINE Girls completed a 2-1 come-from-behind tri-Test series win against England last night at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
After a disastrous start to the series, the Oberon Pitterson-coached outfit clawed their way to a nail-biting 41-40 victory after trailing for almost the entire game.
The doom and gloom that surrounded the team after they suffered consecutive losses to Australia and New Zealand late last year turned to euphoria, as Simone Forbes sank her 15th goal of 19 attempts to give the local girls renewed hope going into the Commonwealth Games in two months.
"It's good for them. After having been crushed by New Zealand and Australia last year it is something the team needed, the association needed, the public needed," said Pitterson.
For the Jamaicans, captain and goalshooter Elaine Davis led the way with 26 goals from 34 attempts. Pamela Cookey got 18 from 24 for the English girls, while Ama Agbeze chipped in with 12 from 22.
ALWAYS CLOSE
With the English determined not to start as slowly as they did in the second game, the Jamaicans stared at a one-goal difference in the first quarter - 12-11 - which turned to 21-19 at the end of the second.
The fear the that the fast-paced foreigners would never slow down for long enough to allow the Jamaicans back into the game.
In the third quarter, however, the Jamaicans played brilliantly in defence but gave up their chances at getting back into the game by giving away the ball at crucial points.
They brought the game back at 26-all but gave up the lead after a late surge from the English.
However, when the fourth quarter started at 32-30, the Jamaican crowd got back into the game and drove the homesters to a heart-warming display of guts.
GIRLS FAIL TO CAPITALISE
With two minutes to go Jamaica had, not for the first time, drawn level, and not for the first time they failed to capitalise on possessions.
England got the mistake bug into their system as well and nobody found a way to break the deadlock.
In the final 40 seconds of the game it was the Sunshine Girls who found composure and they passed the ball around patiently before Forbes ensured that the final shot of the day would go to the Jamaicans.
After the game, England coach Margaret Caldow downplayed the importance of the result.
"This is not what it's about, it's about the Commonwealth Games and figuring out where we're at," she said.
"We gave away the ball at crucial points when we shouldn't have. Really we should have won this game but we haven't and that's the way it goes," she added.
