Organisers of the 2018 staging of the Emancifest Celebrations Domino Championships have hailed the two-day competition a huge success.

The annual Domino Championship, which is a mainstay of the Emancifest Celebrations, was held under the patronage of the Member of Parliament for St Catherine North Central, Natalie Neita Headley.

The competition, which was sponsored by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and organised by the National Association of Domino Bodies (NADB), was hosted at the Sligoville Mini Stadium.

This year’s staging of the event saw a record number of 12 teams participating for the right to be called champions as well as vying for trophies, medals and cash prizes.

In the highly competitive final, Waugh Hill narrowly defeated Kensington 17-11 to take the title, while Stanbury defeated Sligoville 19-12 for third place. Waugh Hill walked away with the championship trophy along with cash prize of $30,000, and Kensington received the second-place trophy along with cash prize of $20,000. Stanbury received the third-place trophy and $10,000 for their effort.

The teams that participated in the seven-a-side tournament were: Sligoville, Stanbury, Grove, Bamboo CMBD, Kensington, Waugh Hill, Jackson CMBD, James Mountain, Patten Park, Mt Moreland CMBD Content and Tryall CMBD, all representing districts in the constituency.

Humbert Davis, first vice-president of the NADB, said that he was pleased with the way the competition turned out.

“Well, what can I say? This year’s competition was truly an exciting one. It was fun — as all teams came out gunning for the title from day of the competition. Everything turned out great and I am truly pleased with the effort of everyone. This was aimed at bringing everyone in the constituency together to have fun and show love,” Davis told the Jamaica Observer.

Davis thanked JCDC for their support in sponsoring the competition.

“The key to all of this being possible is sponsorship, and I must say a big thank you to the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission for supporting us with this competition. Without their help this would not have been possible.

“And to our MP Natalie Neita Headley, also big thank you for your support and involvement as well. We all worked together in making this a success. I also want to congratulate Waugh Hill, Kensington and Stanbury for coming out as winners, and I am already looking forward to next year’s competition,” said Davis.

— Ruddy Allen