Calypso Girls Beat Canada 61-32 for Fourth Straight Win at Netball World Cup Qualifiers

Goal shoot Maikea Bramble scored 55 from 58 attempts as Trinidad and Tobago moved three points clear atop the table.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Maikea Bramble scored 55 goals from 58 attempts as Trinidad and Tobago’s senior women’s netball team, the “Calypso Girls,” beat Canada 61-32 on Friday for a fourth straight win at the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 Americas Qualifiers. The match was played at the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.

Bramble started in place of the rested Samathan Wallace-Joseph and set the tone, scoring all 17 of her attempts in the first quarter as T&T led 18-6. Captain Kalifa McCollin added a goal in the quarter. T&T won the second quarter 13-9 to lead 31-15 at halftime, took the third 17-11 for a 48-26 lead and closed with a 13-6 final quarter. McCollin finished with six goals from six attempts. For Canada, Ladonna Lamonth scored 18 from 37 attempts and Jacqueline Kelly 14 from 17.

The win follows earlier victories over Grenada (61-44), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (73-41) and the United States (43-38). T&T, ranked 12th in the world according to the Guardian, lead with 12 points from four matches, three clear of Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Barbados lost 43-41 to the USA on Friday.

Only the top two teams at the eight-team tournament will advance to the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, from Aug. 25 to Sept. 5. T&T are seeking a 16th World Cup appearance in 17 attempts, having missed only the 1991 event in Sydney. They were joint winners of the 1979 World Cup with Australia and New Zealand.

The Calypso Girls face St. Lucia on Saturday at 6 p.m. and the British Virgin Islands on Sunday at 6 p.m. They close the round-robin against Barbados on Monday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m., a match expected to decide the tournament.