Manchester Spurs Lift Red Stripe Elite League Netball Title With 72-47 Final Win

Manchester Spurs put last season's painful defeat behind them on Sunday, routing defending champions Kingston Hummingbirds 72-47 in the Red Stripe Flavours Netball Jamaica Elite League final at the National Indoor Sport Centre.

The Spurs had looked set for glory a year earlier after ruling the regular season and leading through three quarters of the decider, only to unravel in the fourth period and fall short. Under coach Dalton Hinds, they left nothing to chance against the same rivals this time around.

"I wouldn't say we were wrong last season. One team had to win and we ended up on the losing side, having not lost in the preliminary round," Hinds said. "So it wasn't about focusing on what happened last year. What happened is done. It was about ensuring that we came out this year and made every effort to win the championship, and we did that and are extremely happy champions."

He added that their commanding campaign made the outcome feel right. "I would say we are deserved winners. Well done to Kingston Hummingbirds, but the work ethic of the team members of Manchester Spurs made us champions. It was a total team effort. The sacrifice the ladies made to be at training and the intensity that they play at. I am extremely satisfied."

The opening quarter stayed tight before the Spurs edged ahead 17-14. They raised the tempo in the second period and went into the break up 37-24, a 13-point cushion, despite stiff resistance from the Hummingbirds.

Manchester pulled further clear in the third, as the champions began to labour. The Spurs reached the last quarter leading 56-35, already 21 points to the good. They kept pressing in the final stanza and stretched the margin to 25 for a comprehensive victory.

Hummingbirds coach Kerry-Ann Brown pointed to personnel losses before tip-off. "Tough loss for us," she said. "We lost two of our players going into the final because of personal reasons. Two of our most important players. We lost Amanda Thompson and Khadija Williams. Khadijah is one of Jamaica's best wing attacks. She was one of our key players in the mid-court. Losing her hit us hard. With her, we would have been in it all the way and possibly win the game. So losing them was hard, but kudos to my team, we came out and really played hard. But somewhere along the line in the third quarter, we started losing it. We started to rush things. We started forcing the ball to our shooters, and from there we started going down. Manchester Spurs really wanted it and they came out and got it."

At the post-match awards, Spurs' Kimone Shaw was named MVP and teammate Mone Wilmot took the most accurate shooter honour. Hummingbirds' Tracy-Ann Francis finished as top goal scorer. St Ann Orchids' Theresa Beckford earned best defensive player, Crystal Plummer was best centre court player, and Zonasha Hinds received the Flavour Spirit Award.

Each award winner collected $15,000 and a gift basket. Third-placed St Ann Orchids received $100,000, runners-up Hummingbirds got $200,000, and champions Spurs took home $350,000 along with the championship trophy.