Jamaica’s Sunshine  Girls  will  contest the first match at the 2018 Commonwealth  Games  Netball  competition  on  April 5  against Fiji at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Australia.

Host  and  defending  champions  Australia  will  take  on northern Ireland  in the  other  opening  day  game.

Jamaica the  4th  ranked  team  in the  world  will  line  up  against   world number one ranked Australia  and  number  5  ranked  south Africa   in   pool  “A”  in the  preliminary  round  of  the  netball  competition  from April 5 to 11. Caribbean neighbours Barbados and Northern Ireland, complete the six team pool.

The draw and match schedule for the preliminary round took place today at surfers paradise beach, with the International Netball Federation (INF) overseeing the proceedings.

Wales, Scotland and Uganda are  in   pool B’ along  with  the  number  two  and three  ranked  teams  in the  world  new  Zealand  and  England  respectively  along with  Malawi.

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games which  will  take  place  between April 4 and 15 next year.

In the  meantime  the  sunshine  girls  will  have  south  Africa  as  their  opponents  on the  second  day…………..they  will  rest  on  day  three  before  returning  to  face  off  with  Northern Ireland  on  day  four.

The  Caribbean  derby  between  Jamaica  and  Barbados  take  centre  stage  on day  five  following  which  the  Sunshine  Girls  will  close  the  preliminary  round against  the  Aussies on  the  7th  day.