José Martí claim Challenge Cup

José Martí pocketed the $400,000 first prize on Tuesday after edging Gaynstead High 28-27 in the final of the Insport Challenge Cup netball competition at the Leila Robinson Courts.

Gaynstead collected $250,000 for finishing second, while Norman Manley surprised Denbigh High 34-32 in the third-place play-off to earn $150,000.

The competition, which ran for more than three weeks, featured two unbeaten teams in the final. The Dalton Hinds-coached Gaynstead outfit started as favourites after producing impressive performances throughout the tournament. Their only real test came in the semi-finals, where they defeated Denbigh by two goals.

The Philip Pinnock-coached José Martí team, which played to a draw with Denbigh in the preliminary round before recording a convincing 26-goal victory over Norman Manley in the semi-finals, entered the final full of confidence.

José Martí also came into the contest seeking revenge after losing to Gaynstead in overtime in the 2025 ISSA Urban Area Senior Netball final, while Gaynstead were determined to maintain their dominance over their rivals.

Gaynstead made the brighter start, racing to a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Undaunted, José Martí found their rhythm in the second quarter, outscoring their opponents 9-6 to trail by just one goal at half-time, with Gaynstead holding a slim 13-12 advantage.

After the interval, the St Catherine-based team raised the intensity and took their first lead of the match at the end of the third quarter, 21-20, setting up an exciting final period.

Led by goal shooter Kalee Martin, who scored 22 goals from 29 attempts, and goal attack Jada Campbell, who added six from nine attempts, José Martí held their composure in the closing stages to secure the narrow one-goal victory, much to the disappointment of the vocal Gaynstead supporters.

For Gaynstead, goal shooter Shenel Watson netted 13 goals from 16 attempts, while goal attack Taccero Uland added 14 from 19 attempts.

In the third-place play-off, Denbigh, who suffered a narrow semi-final defeat to Gaynstead, were expected to get the better of Norman Manley, who lost by 26 goals to José Martí in their semi-final.

However, Norman Manley produced a spirited performance to upset their Clarendon opponents and claim a hard-fought 34-32 victory.