Battle on for last two semi-final slots

Western Bureau:

With the premier league semi-finalists now decided, the focus in the 2011 J. Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum-sponsored Western Jamaica Domino League will switch to the division one when the final two semi-final places will be decided following a double-header at the Peeplz Bar & Grill in Hopewell, Hanover, tomorrow.

In the games, which are both slated for 1:30 p.m starts, Unity will oppose Tornado in one game while the classy Intouch will battle Mandella Green in the other. The two winners will join early qualifiers Uptown and Star International in the four-team semi-final phase.

"We are expecting two very competitive games as all four teams are hell-bent on staying in contention for the $55,000 winner's purse," said Walford Morgrade, the president of the Western Domino League. "It should be a real spectacle for the fans, who have been turning out to the games in large numbers."

In the first of the quarter-final games, Uptown sealed their place in the semi-finals of the eight-team division one after blunting the challenge of Morning Star 300-272. Star International subsequently joined the Uptown team in the last four after their comfortable 300-266 win against Ewing Strikers.

In last weekend's final two premier league quarter-final games, played at Father Bull's Bar, Restaurant and Jerk Centre in Long Bay, Trelawny, the highly rated Fighter Jet and the determined Tropical Riddim joined reigning champions Assassin and Tuff Gong in the semi-finals after good wins against Strike Force and Dynasty.

Digging deep

In their game, Fighter Jet had to dig deep to secure a hard-fought 300-284 win against the courageous Strike Force, while Tropical Riddim had a much less difficult task in turning back Dynasty by a comfortable 300-274 margin.

"Both games were among the most entertaining we have seen all season and the fans really had a great time," said president Morgrade. "While two teams ended on the losing side, there was no question that at the end of the day domino was the winner.

In the premier league semi-final games, which are tentatively slated for next weekend, the all-conquering Assassin, who have already won the mid-season title, will lock horns with Tropical Riddim while Tuff Gong, still smarting from their defeat in the mid-season finals, will take on the might of Fighter Jet.

"Honestly, we could not have asked for four better teams to contest the semi-finals," said Clint Parkins, the league's information officer. "All four teams are hungry for success so I am sure it is going to be a case of no retreat, no surrender."

The tournament's eventual champions will walk away with the coveted J.Wray & Nephew premier league trophy and a winners' cheque of $100,000. The beaten finalists will pocket $70,000 while the third and fourth place finishers will take home $50,000 and $30,000, respectively.

- A. F.