Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls were dethroned as Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games netball champions after suffering a shock 56-49 defeat to regional rivals Trinidad and Tobago in yesterday’s final in the Dominican Republic.

The Jamaicans, who won the title three years ago in El Salvador, fielded a team comprising mainly under-21 players and were eventually beaten by seven goals by a more experienced Trinidad and Tobago outfit in a fiercely contested encounter.

The Sunshine Girls made a slow start, struggling to contain their opponents, who dominated the opening quarter to take an 18-10 lead. Jamaica found rhythm in the second quarter and mounted a determined fightback, outscoring Trinidad and Tobago 14-11 to reduce the deficit to 29-24 at half-time.