Katherine Gow, an account officer at HF Fund Services Limited in Camana Bay, recently led the Cayman Islands National Netball Team to an impressive performance at the ECCB International Netball Series. The Cayman team secured four wins out of seven games, showing it can compete with some of the region's top-ranked teams.
“The recent series was an incredible experience,” Gow said. “We were confident going into the competition because we have a huge amount of talent in this squad, with lots of experience and players who have played together for years.”
Facing higher-ranked opponents — St. Vincent and the Grenadines is ranked 17th in the World Netball world rankings and Grenada 19th — the 39th-ranked Cayman team remained competitive throughout the matches.
“We were neck and neck with St. Vincent and Grenada up until the fourth quarter,” Gow said. “We knew we could compete with the best of them.”
Despite falling just short in a couple of close matches, the team’s strong showing has left them eager for the next challenge.
“We are very excited to compete next year and challenge for the top spot as the performances we put out and results we got show we are capable,” she added.
In addition to her role as team captain, Gow has been a key figure in the development of the Cayman squad. She has represented Cayman internationally since 2014 and has played alongside many of her teammates for more than a decade.
“It is such a privilege to be captain of this squad,” she said.
Gow’s passion for netball began when she was 10, though it wasn’t her first choice of sport at the time.
“My sister and mum both used to play, and they pretty much used to drag me there. I didn't have any interest,” she said. “Fast-forward a couple of years, and I am starting high school and I fell in love with the sport and I have never looked back.”
With a strong performance at the ECCB Series behind them, Gow and the Cayman team are looking ahead with confidence as they set their sights on climbing higher in the international rankings.
This article first appeared in the November 2024 issue of Camana Bay Times.
