THE ISSA/Digicel High Schoolgirl netball season will get underway with the Junior and Senior Rallies this morning at Manchester High and tomorrow at the Leila Robinson Courts at 9:00 am at both venues.

The Rural Opening Rally will be played this morning at Manchester High, while the Urban event will be played tomorrow at the Leila Robinson Courts.

Digicel Jamaica are back on board as the main sponsor for the fifth consecutive year. The telecomms company which first sponsored the competition in 2007, says it is looking forward to a competitive season from the 100 schools vying for the top spot in the competition which ends in December.

Digicel’s sponsorship fee which runs the league includes marketing support, spectator giveaways, plus prizes and awards for the winning teams.

In the Rural High School rally, the top Junior teams should be defending league champions Holmwood Technical, Denbigh, Edwin Allen, Herbert Morrison, Manchester, Manning’s and Bellefield.

The Senior Rally should be of a high standard as well with defending league champions Denbigh expected to be challenged by Holmwood Technical, Edwin Allen, Denbigh, Herbert Morrison, Bellefield, Kemp’s Hill High, Manning’s and Manchester.

Meanwhile, All-Island Junior champions The Queen’s are expected to win their section of the Urban rally, while St Hugh’s is the team to beat in the Senior division.

The Junior and Senior League competitions for Rural High Schools are scheduled to begin next Tuesday with 13 games, while the Urban competition commences on Wednesday with 10 games. The Junior League games will begin at 2:30 pm and the Senior League matches at 3:30.

Eighty-seven (87) schools will be participating in the Rural Junior and Senior Leagues, while 46 will take part in the Urban competitions.