Goal shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph and goal attack Kalifa McCollin combined to great effect as T&T's senior women's netball team, dubbed the 'Calypso Girls,' defeated long-time rivals Jamaica, the 'Sunshine Girls,' 56-49 to claim the gold medal at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Friday.
The gold medal was the sixth for T&T at this year's edition of the CAC Games to go along with five silver medals and 10 bronze medals.
Playing at the Juan Bosch Sports Complex, the England-based Wallace-Joseph, playing after sitting out the team's last two wins, tallied 41 goals from 44 attempts, while McCollin added a valuable 15 goals from as many attempts for the Calypso Girls, who exacted revenge for their 50-34 defeat in the 2023 CAC Games to the Jamaicans and secured their first win over their rivals since 1998, a 28-year winless run.
From the onset, Wallace-Joseph and McCollin set about stamping T&T's dominance on the contest and combined for 18 goals, with Wallace-Joseph scoring a perfect 14 from 14 and Mc Collin perfect from her four attempts to lead 18-10, with Simone Gordon scoring six from seven attempts and Jada Ricketts four from seven, the scorers for the Sunshine Girls.
However, in the second period, it was the Jamaicans who held the edge, with Gordon seeing more of the ball to convert 11 of 13 attempts and Ricketts three from seven, as they outscored the Calypso Girls 14-11, with Wallace-Joseph held to eight goals from nine attempts and McCollin scoring another three from as many attempts.
In the third 15-minute period, Wallace-Joseph sank nine of ten attempts, and McCollin added four goals as T&T narrowly won the quarter, 13-11, with Gordon the main contributor for the Sunshine Girls with 11 goals from 17 attempts to keep them in the contest at 35-42 heading into the final quarter.
In the final 15-minute session, both teams traded goals for goals in a 14-14 deadlock as T&T maintained its seven-point lead to secure the gold medal, sparking wild celebrations.
Wallace-Joseph converted ten of 11 attempts to end the match with 41 goals, and McCollin, another four goals, while Gordon sank 13 of 16 attempts to end with 41 goals from 53 attempts, and Ricketts got one from two attempts to finish with eight goals from 17 attempts.
Defensively, Shaquanda Green had four interceptions, two deflections, and two defensive rebounds for the Calypso Girls, while Tia Bruno and Kielle Connelly also chipped in with two interceptions each to help overcome the 42 contact penalties.
The gold medal for T&T capped off an unbeaten tournament and followed dominant victories over St. Lucia (52-25), Barbados (61-39), Dominican Republic (86-6), and Bermuda (76-28).
In the earlier matches, St. Lucia ended with the bronze medal with a narrow 45-41 triumph over Barbados after both teams entered the match with 2-2 win-loss records, while Bermuda avoided the cellar spot with a 36-35 win over the Dominican Republic.
<Taylor gets 60kg boxing bronze>
T&T boxer Abdul Taylor had to settle for one of two bronze medals on offer when he was beaten in his men’s 60 kg semifinal bout by the Dominican Republic’s Disney Medina.
The 23-year-old Taylor, who was knocked down in the first round, was beaten on points, 5-0, with Venezuelan Wilson Solorzano also winning his semifinal, 5-0, over Brandol Perez.
<Alexander, Grant, Landeau miss out>
At the Felix Sanchez Olympic Athletics Stadium, in the women's high jump, T&T's Jelese Alexander ended in the seventh spot with a best of 1.78 m, with the Dominican Republic's Marysabel Senyu taking gold with a 1.93 m clearance, with Cuban Dacsy Brison grabbing silver at 1.91 m, and Bermudan Sakari Famous third, with a best clearance of 1.89 m.
In the women's discus final, Lalenii Grant was fifth with a best effort of 51.52 m on the fifth of her six attempts.
Grant's first attempt landed 46.04 m before she fouled her second and third attempts, respectively, and then landed the discus 51.49 m, while her final attempt was also fouled.
Cuban Silinda Morales won gold with a best effort of 62.58m with her third attempt of six, while Bahamian Serena Brown had a best effort of 59.32m on her final attempt to secure the silver medal ahead of Cubam Melany Matheus, who had a best effort of 55.29m on her final attempt as well.
Nicholas Landeau, 31, ended in the eighth spot in the men’s 800m final in one minute, 53.33 seconds, after he qualified as the second-fastest loser from semifinal heat two in one minute, 49.58 seconds, for the final on Thursday.
At Salinas Beach, T&T's Abigail Affoo was joint tenth in the women's one-person dinghy final with 108 net points and 120 points overall, the same as El Salvador's Valeria Portilla.
<Calypso Spikers finish eight after Costa Rica loss>
T&T senior women’s volleyballers ended in the eighth spot after a straight-set loss to Costa Rica in the seventh-place playoff in women’s volleyball at the Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace yesterday.
In a clash of teams without a win, the Central Americans came out on top 25-11, 25-20, and 30-28, dashing T&T captain Renele Forde's hopes of a belated 36th birthday present.
The Gideon Dickson-coached Calypso Spikers have only themselves to blame for not winning a set at least after squandering three set point chances in the third set.
For T&T, Kiune Fletcher was again the main contributor with 12 points, L'fe Roberts chipping in with five, Desiree Donald four, and Jalicia Ross-Kydd.
On the opposite side of the net, Krystel Vargas has 11 points and Tannia Carazo, ten to lead Costa Rica, while the Central Americans also benefitted from 46 unforced errors from T&T, who were gifted 31 points as well through errors.
On Thursday in the fifth to eighth semifinals, nine-time Caribbean champions T&T went under to Mexico 10-25, 12-25, and 17-25 for a fourth defeat in as many matches after ending Pool A round-robin play without a win in three matches, while Venezuela defeated Costa Rica 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, and 25-9.
In the main draw semifinals contested on Thursday night, Colombia defeated Cuba 25-19, 25-19, 17-25, and 25-23, and the Dominican Republic swept Puerto Rico 25-21, 25-15, and 28-26.
Puerto Rico ended with the bronze medal after they battled past Cuba 26-24, 25-23, and 25-18.
T&T CAC Games medal winners
GOLD (5):
Nikoli Blackman (swimming) - men’s 50m freestyle
Nikoli Blackman (swimming) - men’s 100m freestyle
Liam Carrington, Dylan Carter, Zarek Wilson, Nikoli Blackman (swimming) - men’s 4x100m freestyle relay,
Kwesi Browne (track cycling) - men’s keirin
Dylan Carter (swimming) - men’s 50m butterfly
T&T women's netball team
SILVER (5)
Liam Carrington (swimming) - men’s 50m backstroke
Teniel Campbell (road cycling) - women’s road race
Rinaldo Moore (athletics) - men’s 110m hurdles
T&T men’s hockey team
Kelly-Ann Arrindell (sailing) - 1 person women’s dinghy
BRONZE (10)
Kwesi Browne (track cycling) - men’s individual sprint
Teniel Campbell (road cycling) - women’s time trial
Akil Campbell (track cycling) - men’s omnium
Kwesi Browne, Danell James, Ryan D’Abreau - (track cycling) - men’s team sprint
Teniel Campbell, Kyra Williams, Phoebe Sandy - (track cycling) - women’s team sprint
Teniel Campbell, Alexi Costa-Ramirez - (track cycling) - women’s madison
Dylan Carter (swimming) - men’s 100m butterfly
Nikoli Blackman (swimming) - men’s 200m freestyle
Aaron Charles (athletics) - men’s 200m
Abdul Taylor (boxing) - men's 60kg
