Pro netballer tells PM she’s remaining in top shape for second UK stint

Prime Minister Tillman Thomas
meets netballer Lottysha Cato

St. George’s, September 30, 2011 (GIS) – Prime Minister, Honourable Tillman Thomas, has congratulated national netballer Lottysha Cato on her accomplishments in the sport.

Cato, who paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister on Thursday, September 29, is Grenada’s first professional netball player. She is contracted to the Celtic Dragons, which competes in the English Professional League.

Prime Minister Thomas, in welcoming Cato to his office, said that he and the country are proud of her performances over the years at the Junior and senior levels.

The six-foot-six-inch tall Cato led Grenada to back-to-back wins in the OECS Under-23 tournament in 2008 and 2009, and has also been a top performer at the senior level.

The Prime Minister said Grenada is heartened by the “sterling accomplishments’’ of Cato, who is from La Mode in St. Patrick.

He wished her good health and strength, along with another bumper season when she goes off to England to play for Celtic Dragons for a second season next year.

The government and people of Grenada are thrilled at the “excellent performances’’ of athletes like Cato, Kirani James and others,’’ said Prime Minister Thomas, who is also MP for St. Patrick East.

 He added that structures are being put in place to reward the nation’s star athletes.

Cato, who spoke with the Prime Minister for about 20 minutes, said she is heartened to have interacted with Mr. Thomas, noting that both hail from the same parish.

She assured him that she was doing all in her powers to excel by training diligently and trying to remain in top shape for her next outing in England.

Cato, who is popularly known as Timmy, is a former member of local champion team, Arley Gill Fun City.

She told the Prime Minister that since her return from professional netball work in the U.K. last year, she has been involved in coaching in an attempt to help develop the sport in Grenada.

A goal-shoot, Cato played superbly to propel the Celtic Dragons to fifth position in the English Professional League. It’s the team’s best position to date in the annual competition.

Cato was among the leading players with a shooting average of 88 percent.