JAN 31

The future of basketball in St. George's received a major 'shot in the arm' last Friday with the launching of the first ever Primary Schools basketball tournament in the parish.
This was made possible by a generous contribution by one of the island's new mobile telecommunications companies, DIGICEL Grenada Ltd.

After months of planning and preparation, the 2004 St. George's Primary Schools Basketball Championship bounced off with an impressive opening ceremony at the Carenage Sporting Complex.

The highlights of the event were a colorful march pass of the seven (7) school teams taking part in the tournament and three opening games, featuring all but one of the participating teams.

Bouncing the first ball to get the tournament on the way was new Minister of Sports, Roland Bhola who was high in praise for the organisers of the tournament and especially the sponsors - Digicel Grenada Ltd.

Also addressing the opening ceremony were Parliamentary Representative for the constituency of the Town of St. George, Pet Devid and Secretary of the Grenada Basketball Association, Winston Garraway.

The two of them lavished praise on the organisers of the tournament, the Young Generation Basketball and Sports Club, and Digicel Grenada Ltd, which made the tournament possible with a sponsorship grant of EC$7,500.

Representing Digicel Grenada Ltd.was Marketing and Public Relations Consultant, Jude Bernard who described the event as truly a dream come true for Digicel.

Bernard said that the new company "wants to be not just a responsible corporate citizen but also responsive corporate citizen, constantly seeking (as our resources would allow) for opportunities to get involved in activities and projects that contribute to community and nation building, especially where it matters most - at the youth level".

Also present were: Nigel "German" Mc Kie, Manager/Coach of the Young Generation Basketball and Sports Club as well as teachers, coaches and students of the seven participating schools.

Schools participating in the 2004 Digicel St. George's Primary School Basketball Championship are: SDA Primary School, J.W. Fletcher Gov't School, St. George's Anglican Senior School, St. George's Methodist Sch, St. Paul's Government, Vendomme R.C School and Happy Hill Primary School.