July 30, 2009 - Barbados’ youngest group of volleyballers has headed off to the Caribbean Volleyball Championships in Guadeloupe confident of improving on the island’s last outing in St. Thomas in 2007.

On that occasion Barbados’ boys had ended third while the girls had finished seventh.  The Barbados teams are lead by outstanding Combermere’s boys’ setter Ramon Blades and Coleridge & Parry’s Janelle Morris. 

Both Christ Church Foundation and Coleridge & Parry situated in almost opposite ends of the island have landed five players each in the Barbados teams.

The Bajans comprise two players 14 years of age and three 15 years old competitors.  Barbados has been training for over a year in anticipation of the CVC even though uncertainty had been swirling as to whether the tournament would have been held and who would have been the host.  The cut off date for the age of the players also affected Barbados’ selection.

Even so, head of the delegation, Carol-Lyn Edghill was quietly confident that the teams will perform well as all of the players have been standout competitors for their schools and clubs for a number of years.

Barbados will compete against host, Guadeloupe, Trinidad & Tobago, the Bahamas, Martinique and French Guyana.  French Guyana will not be fielding a girls’ team.  Barbados has won two golds, three silvers and two bronze at the Junior CVC since 1999.  The competition serves off on Sunday July 2.

The full Barbados girls’ team is: Morris, captain, Adrianne Bynoe, Shakira Jack-Wilkinson, Faith Trotman, Nicolette Pilgrim, Crystal Worrell, Shakira Hall, Nicola Greaves, Anglesha Hinds, Akeelah Blenman, Kandia Shorey and Jalicia Nightengale.

The boys chosen are: Blades, captain, Kyle Maxwell, Pernell Blunte, Kyle Brown, Ramon Clarke, Raphael Anthony, Jason Simmons, Jason Hendy, Kohbia Barrow, Dario Carrington, Kemar Bennett.

The officials are: Andrew Culpepper, head coach, Lisa Cox, Frank Almendariz, assistant coaches, Dan Girleanu, trainer, Sean Codrington, manager and Edghill, Head of Delegation. See full player profiles at this link.  http://volleybarbados.com/teams/