Caribbean Sports Roundup

By NAN Sports Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 1, 2019: Here are the top stories making Caribbean sports news for the week ending, Nov. 1, 2019:

Bahamas-Born NBA Player Challenges Suspension

Bahamas-born NBA player, Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns, is challenging a 25 games suspension for a violation of the terms of the N.B.A.’s drug program.

Ayton said he will be challenging the ruling through the arbitration process.

Ayton, 21, tested positive for a banned diuretic, according to the league. The next development to come is on a potential reduction on his suspension.

“This was an unintentional mistake and unfortunately I put something in my body that I was completely unaware of,” Ayton said in a statement. “I do understand the unfortunate impact that this has on so many others, and for that I am deeply sorry. I’m extremely disappointed that I’ve let my team down. I will continue to work with the Players’ Union (NBPA) to go through the arbitration process and am hopeful for a positive resolution.”

Jamaican Patrick Chung For Sunday’s Patriots Team

Jamaican-born NFL star, Patrick Chung, who has missed two of the last three weeks with a chest and heel injury, is officially active for Sunday’s clash with the Browns.

Chung was forced to miss Monday’s game against the Jets with the injury.

Haitian Roots Tennis Star Out Of WTA Finals

Haitian Roots Tennis Star Naomi Osaka is out of the WTA Finals, due to injury. She says the shoulder injury that led to her withdrawal from the WTA Finals should only require rest to heal.

Osaka told press at the event, in Shenzhen, that she began experiencing the problem at Beijing, and had avoided practicing her serving. She defeated Petra Kvitova in three sets in her opening round-robin match at the WTA Finals, though the injury began troubling her again, and the pain increased the following day.

Grandson Of Caribbean Immigrants For Circuit of the Americas

Lewis Hamilton, the grandson of Caribbean immigrants, is going after his sixth Formula One championship at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, this Sunday.

“I think my story and my family’s story is something that a lot of people in different countries can relate to,” Reuters quoted Hamilton, who has risen from an underprivileged background to fame and fortune, as saying.

Hamilton has a 74-point advantage over Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas with three races to go, which means the Briton needs only four points — an eighth place — to put the championship to bed.

West Indies Cricket

A Cricket West Indies Disciplinary Panel has suspended female cricketer Hayley Matthews for eight matches for an unnamed infraction.

The player was initially withdrawn from the recent tour by Australia due to a breach of the CWI’s Code of Conduct. She will now be eligible for selection from the third Colonial Medical Insurance One Day International against India. The ban will end after the second one-day international of the upcoming India series, which begins in Antigua this weekend.

Reggae Girlz

Michael Ricketts, the Jamaica Football Federation President, says he will announce soon whether he will offer new contracts to the coaching staff of the senior Reggae Girlz, who led the team to the FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this year.

The contracts of Head Coach Hue Menzies and Assistant Lorne Donaldson expired in August and the JFF board is mulling the future of their relationship with the federation.

Ricketts told Sportsmax.TV on Wednesday: “Some things came out at the meeting that we will not make public until I have discussed it with the coaches.” He also revealed that the immediate focus will be the World Cup campaigns of the Girls Under-17s and the Under-20s.

“Of course, the senior team; they are in the last stages of the Olympic qualifiers. Once that is over, they will be dormant for a while so we will probably make adjustments.”