After three days of the Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Tournament, Saint Lucia remain unbeaten, having run away with a 40-13 victory over the Cayman Islands. Goal shoot Neriah Charlery led the way on Monday, April 13, at UWI SPEC in St Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago.

A standout has been Neriah Charlery, a 14-year-old from Blanchard, Desruisseaux. A player for Ruby Red Darlings, Charlery was MVP for Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School’s Under-16 team and named best attacking player in the inter-school Under-19 finals.

“Charlery of Saint Lucia, one-on-one she is devastating,” said the commentator on the live stream. “Question is, how do you guard her?”

Like Charlery, captain Naija Ferdinand has experience at this level. Already a senior player, the Micoud native, a member of 2 Da Max Netball Academy and a student at St Joseph’s Convent, has been outstanding in guiding a team with only four returning players. “She has been a good leader and able to relay instructions to her teammates when given,” said head coach Shem Maxwell, “and she’s always at the forefront to assist.”

Naija Ferdinand

One of several players adjusting to a new level of competition is starting centre Sanya Emmanuel. From Ravine Claire, Soufriere, and a player with Little Sisters in Netball, Emmanuel was singled out by the head coach as one of Saint Lucia’s standout players so far.

“Everyone’s trying,” said Maxwell. “It’s a task for them coming from school ages into a competition like this, but like our centre, she’s doing a brilliant job, especially in the game [Sunday, against Dominica], on different days we see each person doing it differently.”

Saint Lucia’s girls put their win streak on the line against Grenada on Tuesday afternoon, before taking on joint tournament favourites Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago.