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Holmwood Technical High's netballers are still on a high following their historic triumph at the World Schools Cup tournament in England.

They defeated Solihull of England 19-18 in the final of the tournament which took place at Loughborough University, June 26-28. Holmwood are the first Jamaican team to both compete in and win the prestigious international tournament.

In what was an epic final, Holmwood's MVP, goal shooter Jada Ricketts, scored the winning goal in the final seconds of the match.

Veteran coach Carline Graham-Powell, who has been at the helm of the school's netball programme for 30 years, was in a buoyant mood when STAR Sports spoke to her at the weekend.

"First, I must say a big thank you to all those who made the trip to England possible for the girls. It was a very expensive trip, and without help from the parents, the school, the man on the street, past students, and members of the coaching team who travelled with the girls, they could not have achieved their objective," said Graham-Powell.

"Going into the tournament, we knew we had a chance of winning, as we had a very experienced group. These girls were all-island champions this season and have been playing together for years. Most of them were also part of the team that won the under-16 all-island title a few years ago.

"Because of the hefty cost of the trip -- more than $11 million -- we couldn't allow ourselves to let people down. That was a big motivator for the girls," the coach said.

According to Graham-Powell, the standard of the tournament was very high. "Teams came from Scotland, South Africa, Dubai, and Kenya, and the competition was played on a round-robin basis," she said.

"In our group, we won five out of six matches. The team we faced in the final had finished second in our group, and we knew it would be tough, as we only beat them by one goal earlier.

"It (final) was nerve-racking. The girls were very nervous, and at one stage, the game looked like it was slipping away from us as we were down by four goals. But we were determined not to come home empty-handed. The girls fought gallantly, and with 30 seconds to go, the score was tied. We knew the win was possible, and they held their nerves to pull it off.

"Not only did they do themselves and the school proud, but they also made Jamaica proud. There was great jubilation in the end, and they deserved it -- they've worked extremely hard over the years," said Graham-Powell.