Wayne Stewart, coach of Jamaica Netball Association (JNA)/Supreme Ventures 'A' League champions Skibo 'A', said hard work and dedication were key factors to their success this season.

Skibo 'A' captured their first hold on the trophy with an exciting 41-40 victory over Ravens 'A' on Saturday at the National Indoor Sports Centre.

"This is a wonderful victory for us because this team has been together for a very long time and they worked very hard in training and they we determined to win a championship and we came out on top in a close game," said Stewart.

Stewart added: "I think this was a very good performance by our girls, even though I think that we made a few mistakes, but they were able to recover from it and got the victory."

Failed to hold the lead

Christopher Smart, coach of Ravens 'A', said his team tried its best. "This was a very hard-fought game for both teams. We led for most of the game but in the final stages we failed to hold on to our lead.

"Congratulations to Skibo because they played a good game and I think that they wanted it more and in the end they prevailed."

National Under-21 representative Samantha Whiter led for Skibo 'A' with 28 goals from 35 attempts. Her team trailed Ravens 'A' 12-19 at half-time.

Skibo 'A', who looked the better side in the third quarter, outscored their opponents 12-9, but despite this, Ravens 'A' led 31-30 at the end of period.

White received support from Janice Reynolds, with 13 from 23, as the champions railed strongly in the fourth period with their swift off-the-ball movements and tight defence that resulted in five turnovers by Ravens in the final three minutes of the game.

Patricia Thompson, with 18 goals from 21 attempts, and Keisha Clarke, 17 from 22, were the main scorers for Ravens 'A'.

Skibo 'A' collected a trophy and $90,000 for winning the competition, while Ravens 'A' received $70,000 and a trophy.