Jamaican player Khadijah Williams should have been preparing for a series against England, but instead she and some of the other players found themselves helping out in relief efforts in their homeland after the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October.
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The hurricane devastated the Caribbean, destroying homes and infrastructure and flooding neighborhoods. Around 1.5 million people were affected (more than half of the country’s population) and 28 people died.
It took several days for Williams’ teammate Abigale Sutherland to locate her grandfather, whose roof had been ripped off his house, and a lack of power also meant that training together as a national team became impossible.
Jamaica’s two home matches of the four-Test series were cancelled, but they will play England twice this weekend in the Horizon Series, which you can watch on the BBC.
For both teams, these games are much more than the result.
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“I’m glad you’re alive.”
“I didn’t hear from my grandfather for several days. When I heard from him I started crying and said ‘thank God’,” Sutherland told BBC Sport.
“I was listening to the radio station hoping I wouldn’t hear his name. It was a sense of relief knowing he lost so much, but he’s still here.”
Many parts of the island were left without electricity, making any type of communication difficult.
“We didn’t have any phone service,” Williams said.
“It was challenging and scary, you didn’t know if people were okay.”
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Jamaican residents have described the landscape as “flattened” and many still have no electricity or access to water.
Williams and fellow ‘Sunshine Girl’ Shanice Beckford were among those who joined the relief efforts, delivering care packages that included food, sanitary products and diapers.
“I literally cried the whole time. It’s heartbreaking to see what our countrymen are going through,” said Beckford, who won two bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games and a silver for Jamaica.
“They don’t have anything. But the fact that we can help put smiles on their faces and deliver those packages is really heartwarming.”
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“We couldn’t train”
Last year, Jamaica scored a convincing victory against England to win the inaugural Horizon Series 2-1.
This year’s series was due to begin with the first two matches in Jamaica in early December, but England Netball and Netball Jamaica canceled them after the hurricane.
Third-ranked Jamaica will still face fourth-ranked England in a two-match series at London’s Copper Box Arena.
But this year their preparations have been very different.
“We couldn’t train for two weeks,” Beckford said. “We were not on the court due to the impact, there were no lights, no electricity, no signal.”
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Sutherland added: “So our coaches sent us some things that we had to do on our own while we were at home. Some couldn’t do it, but we did what we could.”
Hurricane Melissa was the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island in modern history (Getty Images)
“This is more than the scoreboard”
England Netball will donate £1 to Netball Jamaica’s chosen charity, World Central Kitchen, for every Horizon Series ticket sold, and has also announced that fans will be able to contribute to the British Red Cross Disaster Fund.
The matches may take place in difficult circumstances but England captain Francesca Williams said her team’s approach remains unchanged.
“We’re definitely not going to hold back,” Williams told BBC Sport.
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“You’re always going to do your best and do what you can to help the team win. That’s showing the other team the most respect, playing the best you can.”
While these games represent “more than the score,” the Jamaican team “will come just as hard” as it would if it were under different circumstances, Williams said.
But for them, it is also an opportunity to bring joy to people returning home.
Sutherland said people in Jamaica “are setting their alarms and dressing in black, green and gold” to watch the games on television.
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He hopes the television audience will include his grandfather if power is restored in time to his area.
“He’s really excited that I’m on tour and he’s asking me how I’ll watch the game,” he said.
“It means a lot to him. He goes around telling everyone, ‘My granddaughter is a Sunshine Girl!'”
