Brissett: anxiety, turnovers let us down

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Despite his team's failure to win this year's Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) Berger Paints Super League competition, Patrick Brissett, coach of Waulgrovians 'A', said he was very proud of his team's achievements this season.

"I think that our players wanted it but over-anxiety and turnovers let us down," said Brissett.

Waulgrovians, who last won the title in 2002, were beaten 2-1 defending champions Jamalco in their best-of-three series, which ended on Monday at the Leila Robinson Courts.

They won the first game in the series, 49-46, to be one win a way from lifting the title. However, Jamalco rallied to take the final two games 50-46 and 44-42, respectively.

"I think that we made the turnovers at the wrong time and they were silly turnovers," Brissett said.

focused

However, despite the defeat, Waulgrovians remain the only team to have beaten Jamalco twice this season when they defeated them in the final of the rally competition.

Brissett added that his players were very focused and determined to win the competition, but some crucial errors, in critical parts of the last two matches led to their demise.

"I think that they decided about mid-season that they wanted to win this competition and they played like they wanted to win but just some simple mistakes cost us the game," Brissett said.

This was the second time in three years that the team had lost in the final, also to Jamalco. Waulgrovians beat Jetsetters 'A' in the quarter-finals and Tivoli Gardens 'A' in the semi-finals, after finishing third in the preliminary round.

Waulgrovians remain one of the most successful clubs in the competition with a record 12 titles under their belts.

"The success is that we are the longest-serving club in the JNA leagues and I think we have been able to maintain our standards over the years, and we have always been attracting some of the best players over the years," Brissett said.

National players Simone Forbes, Paula Thompson, Christina Solmon, Nichala Gibson, along with former national players Oberon Pitterson and Marvetta Murray, are some of the top players who have donned the purple and white colours of Waulgrovians.

The Waulgrovians B team finished third in the Western Union Divisional B League, whereas the C team failed to make it to the quarter-finals of the same competition.