AUCKLAND,

New Zealand (CMC):

World netball chief, Jamaican Molly Rhone, believes the standard of play in the Caribbean region is on the decline and says the world governing body will seek to redress the situation soon.

Her comments follow the weak performances of Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago at the World Netball Championships which concluded here on Saturday.

"I am concerned. You don't want to see countries drop off as others rise. I do believe the standard is falling in the Caribbean and that's going to have to be another area for us to concentrate on," Rhone said.

Rhone, last week re-elected as president of the International Federation of Netball Associations, said netball in the region was being undermined by the impact of the availability of basketball scholarships in the United States.

"The Caribbean faces a particular problem with their players going on basketball scholarships in the U.S. Jamaica, for example, doesn't have the lovely shooter it had in 2003, a young girl who had never touched a basketball in her life," said Rhone in obvious reference to Carla Williams.

Caribbean countries suffering

"They (coaches) come to the netball courts, they see their skills and they offer them (netballers) a scholarship. They want to improve themselves academically, so they go.

"This time is not a good time of year for the Americas because it's school time. July-August is the best window for them to play, because they're on vacation so they could be here. All Caribbean countries are suffering from that."

Barbados and T&T arrived at the World Championships with international rankings of seventh and 10th respectively, but performed way below expectations.

Barbados were upset by Botswana and finished 13th in the tournament while T&T also suffered at the hands of the African nation and finished 11th.

Jamaica, ranked No. 3 in the world, maintained their international ranking by capturing bronze on Saturday with a narrow 53-52 win over England.