( L - R ) Walker, McKinnis

Jamaica's Under-21 netballers will face Australia's Under-21 team in the opening match of their three-Test series today at the G.C. Foster College, starting at 6 p.m.

Both teams are using the series as part of their preparations for the World Youth Championships, which will be held in Cook Islands in August.

The Jamaicans, who are playing their first competitive series under new coach C. Lloyd Walker, went down 37-36 to former Super League champions Tivoli Gardens in a warm-up match on Saturday.

Walker, who took charge of the team two weeks ago, following the resignation of Janet Guy, said he is expecting a tough series.

A major builder

"We are taking this series very seriously," said Walker. "I will be asking the players to go out and play well. I know that we have a lot of work to do and I also know that this is going to be a major builder for us.

"We have been working well because the girls have been training very hard and they are very focused and I think that we are progressing well," he said. "Our girls have good potential and they also have good height and they're willing to learn and I believe that people can expect good work from us on Monday," Walker added.

The junior Sunshine Girls enter the series without their top shooter, Romelda Aiken, who is representing Queensland Firebirds currently in the ANZ Club Championships in Australia and New Zealand.

However, the Jamaican team will be bolstered by the inclusion four members of the senior team that lost a three-Test series 3-0 to hosts England last month. They are, captain and goal shooter Christina Solmon, goal attack Vanessa Walker, centre Sateva Taylor and defender Malysha Kelly.

The Jamaicans were runners-up to the Australians at the Under-21 World Championships in Wales in 2000, but slipped to fourth place at the last championships in Florida four years ago behind champions New Zealand, England and Australia.

Confident of victory

Like Jamaica, the Australians also lost their warm-up match to Super League champions Jamalco on Saturday. But Simone McKinnis, coach of the Aussies, said she is confident of a victory.

"We are going into this series confident because we know that we have the ability and the talent in the group, but we know that we will have to be right on our game against the Jamaicans," said McKinnis. "We have to have the right intensity and right focus to play at our best in this match."

McKinnis added that the strength of her team lies in its defence and attack and she will be using a lot of different combinations because they want to play good, controlled netball to create a lot of defensive pressure on the Jamaicans.

Expect a lot athleticism

"When you step out against Jamaica you always expect a lot athleticism and finesse about their play. I know that as a team we will have to be on the mark and work the ball well and be smart to be competitive against this Jamaican side," McKinnis said.

The Australian team includes six members of the Institute of Sports Under-21 unit who defeated the Jamaicans 3-0 in a three-Test series at the same venue last year, including prolific goal shooters Caitlin Bassett and Kim Barber and wing attack Sophie Craft.

The second game in the series will be played on Wednesday and final match on Friday, all at G.C. Foster.