Sports Columnist, Robertson Henry
Speaking at the tournament’s prize-giving ceremony on Friday afternoon at the SVGCC Villa campus grounds, Richardson told the attendees at Friday’s ceremony of her displeasure at “the disciplinary part of the tournament.”
Although the tournament served as a feeder into the national tournament, the level of discipline on display during the tournament was a sour note in the mouth of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association vice-president.
According to Richardson, she has been present at six of the annual tournaments save for one due to the birth of her daughter, but “This year I must say is one of the lowest points in terms of discipline. Teams not getting here on time, we had issues with uniforms, players arguing with officials. I must say that is not becoming of our netball ladies, and I would not like to see it in another tournament.”
Minutes after Richardson had concluded her remarks, two players from opposing teams namely from the Central Leeward Secondary School and the Troumaca Ontario Secondary School, almost came to blows while the players from top three teams were waiting to collect their prizes.
Speaking in her official capacity as Vice-president of the local netball association, Richardson stated: “I am very pleased with the quality of netball that I saw on display over the last two weeks. I am really, really looking forward to 2022 when we are going to get back to netball.”
She underscored the fact that the participation by the teams is an indication that “we do still have some netball talent in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
Training is expected to commence in early January 2022 for the Under-23 squad, and according to the SVGNA vice-president, she saw “some prospects from this tournament.”
Robertson S. Henry is a multi-time award winning sports journalist from Saint Lucia, currently residing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. His coverage of sporting events both locally and regionally, not just landed him the Sports Journalist of the Year Award on numerous occasions, but recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 2005.
Henry began his fulltime career in journalism with the now defunct Crusader Newspaper in 1994, and worked with the Voice Newspaper until 2007. He established the sports website sportcaraibe, and believes “sports is the fourth pillar in the socio-economic development of the Caribbean.”
Henry has also produced work for a number of regional newspapers including the Trinidad Guardian, Stabroek Newspaper of Guyana, and in 2010 did a photo-shoot of Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke for the Australian Herald.
