In Your Neighbourhood

• NCB top BH domino dress parade

National Commercial Bank (NCB) won the annual dress parade at the May 6 launch of the Wray & Nephew-sponsored Business House domino competition held at Jamaica Electrical Technologies (JET), 36¹/² Lyndhurst Road.

Runners-up to the blue and yellow clad NCB were Jamaica Fire Brigade, while there was a tie for third between National Housing Trust and Wray & Nephew.

The competition, which started yesterday, has attracted 18 teams - 10 in Division One and eight in Division Two. The Division One teams are defending champions SDC, Berger, Norman Manley International Airport, Jamaica Brandy, Seprod, National Baking Company, JUTC. Wray & Nephew, Jamaica Fire Brigade and many-time champions The Gleaner, who return after a one-year absence.

Division Two - JPS, Kingston Wharves, Pepsi, Courts, NCB, NHT, Tastee and UWI.

Matches commence at 6 p.m. on Fridays.

• BH football starts today at Red Stripe Oval

The 2011 KSAFA/Western Sports Business House football competition commences today with the dress parade and opening matches at the Red Stripe Oval, Spanish Town Road.

The competition has attracted 20 teams (up from 17 last year) with 10 each in Division One and Two. The dress parade gets under way at 1 p.m. and this will be followed by the Division Two match between NHT and NCB at 2 p.m. and the big Division One clash between defending champions Petrojam and the 2009 champions Scotiabank at 4 p.m.

The participating teams are as follows: Division One - Petrojam, last year's Division One champions Wisynco, The Gleaner, Carib Cement, University of the West Indies, Courts, Norman Manley International Airport, National Water Commission and Wray & Nephew Limited.

Division Two - Jamaica National, Jamaica Fire Brigade, Jamaica Urban Transport Company, GraceKennedy, Red Stripe, National Housing Trust and newcomers Island Special Constabulary Force, Jamaica Customs and National Commercial Bank.

Matches will continue on Monday.

• Domino teams set to rumble in quarters

Eight teams will vie to be the champion of the Jamaica Domino Federation/Charley's JB Overproof Rum/Supreme Ventures Portmore/ St Catherine league tomorrow.

One of the hottest battles of the quarter-finals will be defending champions Fort International versus Masterpiece at the Garveymeade Sports Club. Fort had a less than convincing preliminary-round performance while Masterpiece, who were near the top of the standings of the competition, dropped somewhat off the pace. This match is expected to be a tense battle but Fort will have the edge because they are battle-ready.

In other games, leaders and top-seed Caribbean Classic take on Passagefort United at Bayside, second-ranked Eagle View square off with Hurricane at Matthew's Bar, Cedar Grove, and North Street United challenge Right Stuff at Portmore Avenue (formerly Portmore Lane). All matches begin at 11:30 a.m.

• Portland All-Stars vs JDCA in domino

The Jamaica Domino Council Association (JDCA) will oppose a Portland All-Stars team today as they continue their all-island trials to select a national team.

The match will be played at the Port Antonio Police Station, starting at 1 p.m.

• Spartan win Clarendon Major League

Spartan emerged the 2011 Claro/Captain's Bakery Clarendon Major League champions after battling to a 0-0 draw with Gimme-Me-Bit in the final round of matches played at Clarendon College.

The two teams had been locked at the top on 37 points. However, with a better goal average, having scored 22 and conceded four, only a draw would have been necessary for Spartan to clinch the championship. The two have met in the mid-season final, with Spartan winning 2-1. Spartan, who hail from the Chapelton area, have now earned automatic qualification to the South Central Super League. They have also replaced New Bowens, who were relegated from that competition.

It is a amazing that the league winners would be decided on the final day, after Gimme-Me-Bit looked firmly on course, holding a six-point lead on Spartan three weeks ago.

However, Spartan put together three straight wins, beginning with a 2-0 win over Freetown, then a 1-0 win over Original Hazard, before easing ahead on goal difference with a 3-0 win over Milk River. Gimme-Me-Bit's chances were dealt a further blow when they were beaten 2-1 by Milk River.

• Power of Faith derby highlights semi-finals

A Power of Faith derby highlights the semi-finals of the Power of Faith Ministries (PFM) Twenty/20 Church Cricket League this morning at Lime Tree Oval.

Former champions Power of Faith International will tackle brother team Power of Faith Development at 9:30 a.m, while in the afternoon game at 1:30 unbeaten Victory Open Bible take on Power & Light Ministries.

In a game last week, PFM Development 86 all out (20); Dennis Hall 23; Dwayne Simms 4-17; Devoy Smith 3-9. Old Harbour 81 all out (18.5); Smith, 24; Aaron Graham 21. Idel McGreggor 2-13, Hall 2-16. The semi-final pairings pit PFM Development against Power of Faith International, and Victory Open Bible versus Power and Light Ministries. Both matches will be played today.

• Villa, Cobbla-Gully Strikers in Division Two final

Villa United and Cobbla/Gully Strikers will contest the final of the Power Services Company Limited-sponsored Manchester Division Two league at the Mile Gully Sports Complex tomorrow, starting at 3:30 p.m.

In the semi-finals played earlier this week, Romaine Johnson's 54th-minute strike proved decisive in Villa's 1-0 win over Hopewell. Cobbla/Gully Strikers recorded a 3-1 win over Allied. Richard Palmer (34th), Joel Palmer (54th) and Gerald Housen (84th) scored for the first-time finalists, while Javel Anderson scored in the 43rd for the losers in a game which was locked at 1-1 at half-time.

Interestingly, both Hopewell and Allied were unbeaten at that stage, having won four games each to top their respective preliminary zones.

• Bucknor keep it perfect

Bucknor remain the only team with a perfect win record in the Claro Clarendon Division One after notching their sixth straight victory with a 2-0 win over New Longsville earlier this week.

Bucknor have scored 14 goals and are yet to concede any. However, their lead at the top of Zone One is shared by Summerfield, who recorded the highest margin of victory in the competition after seven rounds with an 8-0 thumping of New Roadsville.

Black Stars have overtaken Springfield (15 pts) as the leaders of Zone Two, with 16 points. Coffals are third on 13. Treadlight lead Zone Three on 13 points over Ebony Stars and Four Paths who are both on 12.

Jamalco continue to rule supreme in Zone Four. After seven games they remain unbeaten and have tallied 19 points. They are yet to t to concede a goal while scoring 19. They are six points clear of nearest challengers Mineral Heights (13) and Longsville Park (12).

• Wray & Nephew skittles tournament

The first-ever women's team in local skittles, Lady Strikers, made it two wins from as many matches in the Wray & Nephew White Overproof competition last Sunday when they clipped Willies Strikers 6-5 at Hangover Skittles Club in Portmore.

In the opening round of the competition on the previous Sunday, Lady Strikers beat The Dip from Portmore 6-4.

The Dip, however, rebounded from that loss to beat Olympic Strikers 6-3 in a home match in Gregory Park, while Rowe's Strikers made it two from two with a 6-4 win over Dragon at the same venue.

In other second-round matches, Eastern All-Stars beat this year's Pattex Cup champions Mystic 6-4 in a home match in east Kingston (113 Windward Road), after Mystix had raced into a 4-1 lead after five games. But the former champions dug deep to win the next five games in a match worthy of the feature.

The match between Starliner and Waltham Strikers scheduled for Eastern was declared null and void after both teams turned up short of players. Mercury defeated Portmore-based Hangover 6-1 at Hangover to make it two wins from as many matches as well.

Meanwhile, The Dip's Richard Mohammed turned in an impressive performance with a 3,100 opening break against Patrick Wallace of Olympic Strikers, going on to score 5,080.

The matches for tomorrow's third round are as follows: Eagles vs Dragon at Rowe's Striker (new venue Molynes Road) and Rowe's Strikers vs Eastern All-Stars in the feature match at the same venue. Portmore's The Dip will oppose Mystic at Starliner (Waltham Park Road), while home team Starliner take on Mystix at the same venue.

In the third set of matches, Olympic Strikers oppose Mister C at Mercury in Spanish Town, while Mercury are up against Willies Strikers. The first set of matches start at 1 p.m.

• Cobbla Church League kick-off

Defending champions George North began on a winning note as the 2011 renewal of the Cobbla New Testament Church Football League kicked off recently at the Cobbla Youth Camp, near Spaldings.

In the lone match of the afternoon, Avadine Ellington scored twice to give George North a 2-0 win over Christiana Strikers.

Church United and Christiana Strikers both shared honours in the opening dress parade. The league continued last weekend with Spring Ground tagging West Road 2-0 on goals by Kinsley Thousand and Rojel Mills. The second encounter between Clandon Strikers and Contrivance ended 1-1. Matches on tomorrow at the Cobbla Youth Camp field: Lazio Strikers vs Richmond and at 4 p.m., Gully Strikers vs Roose Madrid.

• Watson Grove cop league title

Watson Grove, a community in the Gregory Park division in Portmore, copped the LIME Portmore Division Two League title with a 5-4 penalty kicks win over arch-rivals Westport at the Passagefort field last Sunday.

This was Watson Grove's third title of the season. They had won two Colin Fagan mid-season knockout titles earlier in the season. Sheldon Dean, who scored the final penalty kick, and goalkeeper Latroy Blackwood emerged as the heroes for Watson Grove. Both teams were locked 0-0 after regulation and extra time. Blackwood made an important save in the penalty shoot-out, while Dean calmly hit home the sudden-death penalty strike that sent the 'Grove' fans into a frenzy. The win sealed a spot in next year's Division One for Watson Grove.

• Naggo Head poised for third title

Two-time defending champions Naggo Head Primary are poised to take their third title in a row in the four-day INSPORTS/Swizzzle Primary Athletic Champs which begins next Wednesday at the National Stadium.

The Floyd Coke-conditioned team will be chased by title-hungry New Providence, who were second last year, Portmore's Portsmouth, backed by five athletes on the St Catherine parish team, and St Catherine Primary. Some 65 schools and over 3,000 athletes are expected to compete. Naggo Head easily won last year's championships, with 187 points to Providence's 128.

This year is expected to be much closer, and the camp that makes the least mistakes will be victorious on Saturday evening, May 21.

• Makka Pro July 29-31

Jamaica's only international pro surfing contest, the 2011 Makka Pro, previously scheduled for July 17-19, will now run from July 29-31 at the world-famous Makka surfing beach at Southaven in Yallahs, St Thomas. The fifth staging of the event is set to be the biggest to date. The Jamaica Tourist Board has confirmed sponsorship of the event, which has raised its profile and will maximise exposure and visibility through their publicity arm. Arrivals are expected from the Caribbean, North, Central and South America to what is set to be the biggest pro surf contest in the English-speaking Caribbean.

The Makka Pro is also the third stop on the US$10,000 Western Atlantic Pro Surf Series, the East Coast's only pro surfing tour. With the International Surf Festival 2011 in Trinidad, the Independence Pro in Barbados and six other events up the US east coast. The cash and points the 2011 Makka Pro will provide towards the tour for all participants will encourage participation.

The event will be a positive development for Jamaica's easternmost and regularly neglected parish, which will benefit from arriving international pro surfers who will be staying in the area as they arrive before the event to acclimatise themselves to the Jamaican waves, and stay after to enjoy Jamaica's famous hospitality and entertainment.

• Bustamante, Glenmuir win junior titles

Little-known Bustamante High claimed their first major football title after defeating daCosta Cup finalists Lennon High 2-1 in the final of the Clarendon schools Under-15 league sponsored jointly by Claro and Guardian Life.

Captain Tashaine Campbell led the way for the first-time finalists, scoring the first goal in the 16th minute before Ismael Robinson made it safe with a second strike in the 61st. Oshane Coleman's 67th-minute penalty turned out to be consolation strike for Lennon.

The parish's perennial youth football leaders, Glenmuir High, secured the Under-13 crown after defeating Bethel College on penalties. The two were locked at 0-0 scoreline in full and extra time. Waqar Nevers and Jevaun Ennis netted for the champions while Jaymoy Cruise scored the only penalty kick by the losers.

Despite the result, it was still a memorable occasion for both finalists. Glenmuir retained the title they won last year but it was also special for Bethel because the school was only opened in 2004 and had entered the competition for the first time this year.