Fighter Jet, Tuff Gong in domino final

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:The slate of contenders for next Sunday's grand finale in the 2012 J. Wray & Nephew-sponsored White Overproof Rum Western Domino League was filled last weekend when Kool Waves and Unity Striker qualified for the Division One final, which will be played alongside the Premier League final.

Kool Waves sealed their place in the final, upstaging outgoing champions Uptown 300-288 in their semi-final clash, while the ominous-looking Unity Strikers earned their slot in the championship game with a 300-275 win against Dynasty.

In the Premier League, which saw no action over the weekend, defending champions Fighter Jet and a determined-looking Tuff Gong will be the two contenders for the title, having sealed their places two weeks ago with semi-final wins against Assassins and Strike Force, respectively.

In their game, Fighter Jet was quite imposing as after securing a comfortable 153-135 half-time lead, they stretched their advantage to 41 points as they sealed victory with a 300-275 win. Michael Jackson and Jermaine Grey were the outstanding players for the victors.

In their game, the Tuff Gong aggregation was against Strike Force as with Jerome Hussey and Shawn Bond leading the way, they moved on from a close 153-151 half-time lead to their resounding 300-265 win.

With their championship hopes dashed, the four beaten semi-finalists in the two competitions will be looking to close their season in style when they meet in third-place play-off action at Father Bull Restaurant and Bar in Trelawny, starting at 1 p.m.

EXPECTING TOP FORM

Montego Bay teams Uptown and Dynasty will meet in the Division One game, while in the Premier League showdown, Assassins and Strike Force will lock horns.

"With a chance of ending their season on a good note, I am expecting all four teams to turn out in top form," said Walford Morgraige, the president of the Western Domino Association. "In addition, a bigger slice of the price money should provide additional motivation."

The breakdown of prizes for the Premier League reads: champions - $100,000 and the J. Wray & Nephew trophy, second place - $75,000, third place - $50,000, and fourth place - $30,000.

In the Division One, the prize package reads: champions - $65,000 and the J. Wray & Nephew Trophy, second place - $40,000, third place - $30,000, and fourth place - $15,000.

The season will conclude with a Champion of Champions showdown between the Premier League champions and the Division One champions.