National goal shooter Romelda Aiken has withdrawn from the Sunshine Girls team that will participate in this year's Fast5 Netball World Series in Auckland, New Zealand, due to an injury sustained in training.

Team physician Dr Praimanand Singh, who assessed Aiken, stated in a release sent out by the Jamaica Netball Association yesterday that the shooter suffered "trauma in her right hand" and will be sidelined for six weeks.

"Ms Romelda Aiken suffered trauma to her right hand in a training session. After the appropriate examinations, a diagnosis of an oblique displaced fracture to her fourth right metacarpal bone was made," said Singh.

Rehabilitation

Singh added: "This will require a surgical intervention and subsequent rehabilitation. As a result of the abovementioned she will be unable to participate in any netball activities for six weeks."

The Sunshine Girls, who are ranked fourth in the world, are scheduled to leave the island on November 3 for the Fast5 Netball World Series, which will be held from November 9-11.

Captain Nadine Bryan will lead the Sunshine Girls' nine-member squad, which also includes four members of the team that represented Jamaica at the last World Netball Champion-ships in Singapore last year. They are goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler, Anna-Kay Griffiths, Kimone Tulloch and Malysha Kelly. The other members of the Oberon Pitterson-Nattie-coached Fast5 squad are Sasha-Gay Lynch, Shameera Sterling, Vangelee Williams and Shantal Slater.