Caribbean Sports Roundup

By NAN Sports Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Dec. 6, 2019: Here are the top headlines making news on the Caribbean sports scene this week.

Reggae Girlz Head Coach Calls It Quits

The coach who made history with World Cup Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz soccer tea has called it quits. According to Digicel Sports Max, Coach Hue Menzies has decided he can no longer continue in his capacity after a protracted dispute with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). Menzies contract expired in August and has not been renewed.

Menzies was quoted as saying he had also grown impatient with not being reimbursed by the JFF for personal funds he used during the Reggae Girlz successful bid to get to the 2019 World Cup in France.

“It is unfortunate because we put so much time and created so much history. It’s not just a football job, it’s more than football so obviously I am very disappointed in how the federation communicated, well the lack of communication from the federation,” Menzies was quoted as stating.

Bahamas Born Player Is Giving Away Most Of His Donations

Remember that Stephen F. Austin men’s basketball hero from the Bahamas? Well Nate Bain received a whopping $150,000 after his buzzer-beater helped upset top-ranked Duke. His family lost everything when Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas in September, but Bain said because his family home had insurance, the money donated via his GoFundMe will go to help other families within the church and the school. “It’s going to help a whole lot of families,” he told TMZ.

West Indies Gets Batting Coach

Cricket West Indies has appointed experienced coach Monty Desai to the post of West Indies Men’s Batting Coach.

Desai joins the West Indies ahead of the start of the T20 International Series against India, which bowls off today, Friday, December 6th, at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.

Desai has worked with Canada, as their Head Coach at the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 and Afghanistan as their Batting Coach at the ICC Cricket World Cup qualification tournament in 2018. More recently, he also worked as Batting Coach for the United Arab Emirates at the ICC T20 World Cup qualification event.

The Windies will also face India in Thiruvananthapuram on December 8th and at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on December 11th. Following that series, the two teams will meet in three ODIs in Chennai (December 15th), in Vizag (December 18th) and on Cuttack (December 22nd).

The limited-overs series between India and West Indies, which begins today, will have front-foot no-balls exclusively monitored by a third umpires.

Jamaican Roots Athlete Named Sportswoman of the Year

Jamaican roots British sprinter, Dina Asher-Smith, 23, has been named Sportswoman of the Year for 2019 by the Sunday Times in the United Kingdom. With her win in the 200-meter event at the World Championships held in October 2019 in Doha, she became the first woman from Britain to attain a major international title. In addition to her victory in the 200-meters, Asher-Smith took home a silver medal in the 100- meter event. With this medal, she became the first athlete, man or woman, since 1984 to win three medals at the same international championship tournament.

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz Joins Team Beckham

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, Alvas Powell, has been drafted Inter Miami CF, David Beckham’s MLS team.

Beckham owns the franchise, chose Powell in the second pick of the second round at the MLS Expansion Draft.

Powell came to Cincinnati from the Portland Timbers, where he won the MLS Cup Championship in 2014. Inter Miami, a new 2020 expansion club, was a participant in the draft along with another new expansion club Nashville SC. The two clubs were permitted to chose one player from each MLS club.

FCC will receive $50,000 in General Allocation Money in compensation for the selection.

Powell, 25, made 13 appearances, including 10 starts, for the Orange and Blue in the club’s inaugural MLS season in 2019. Acquired from the Portland Timbers via trade on Dec. 27, 2018. The defender made his FC Cincinnati debut when he started at right back in FC Cincinnati’s first-ever MLS match at Seattle on March 2.

As an FC Cincinnati player, Powell made 14 appearances for Jamaica and scored his first two international goals in a Concacaf Nations League group stage match at Guyana on Sept. 9.