Gleaner Na 202111

George Ruddock/Gleaner Writer LONDON: A LADIES domino team is set to make its entrance into the The Anglo Caribbean Domino League when it gets the green light to resume competition after COVID- 19 restrictions are lifted, and the women behind the formation of the ‘Lady Diamond’ team are excited for this to happen. ALICIA GRIZZLE, aka ‘Queen B’, is the captain of the first ladies domino team which was formed after a sur- prise win in a friendly game at the Brixton Domino Social Club, home of the Immortals, the current league champions. Alicia said: “My friend Nadine Lovelace and I were playing a friendly men vs women game at the club one night in 2019 and we beat the men at their game so we thought, why not start a ladies domino team as we are always supporting the men’s team, but we never took part ourselves. “This gave us a boost and we started talking to ladies from other clubs and in a short time we had 35 members who signed up. We then began organ- ising friendly games with other clubs and the excitement grew as we had T-shirts made for the various teams, but then the pandemic came in early 2020 and the domino league activities were suspended.” Some of the ladies got together last week at the Brixton Domino Social Club’s Black History Month concert and tournament at the Lambeth Town Hall and they were optimistic that they will be included in the League when it gets going. Nadine who is the chair of the Lady Diamond team said: “We have 35 mem- bers from approximately five clubs so far and we hope to get more teams signed up from around the UK so that when the league resumes, there will be ladies’ teams included playing against each other for their own trophy.” Christene Saddler, in charge of the governance of the ladies team, said there are some very brilliant play- ers who never knew how good they were until they got the chance to play against the men. She said: “The women members of the clubs are normally associated with being the secretaries or treasurers and even preparing the food for the team but are never really involved as players, so by launching the Lady Diamond team this will even encourage more women to become members of domino clubs. The only obstaclewe have now is to get sponsors as we have purchased all our gear from our own fundraising efforts.” The aim of the team now is to get started in the league and then take it internationally by playing other la- dies’ teams in the US, Canada and the Caribbean. THE WEEKLY GLEANER | NOVEMBER 4 - NOVEMBER 10, 2021 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 15 Make way for the Lady Diamond domino team The women behind the Lady Diamond team, Alicia Grizzle (left), Nadine Lovelace and Christene Saddler. CONTRIBUTED ON YOU MARK. SET. CUT. Consul General of Jamaica to New York Mrs AlsionWilson, OD (fourth from right), performs the ceremonial ribbon cut- ting at the official opening of the newest JN Money branch at 3418 A Boston Road, in the north Bronx, a pre- dominantly heavy Jamaican/Caribbean enclave, on Saturday, October 30. Joining in the festivities are (from left) Pastor Boswell Allen, NTCoGBronx; NYC Council member KevinRiley (Bronx); Earl Jarrett, chairman&GroupCEO– JN; Harry Bhoorasingh, senior regional manager - JNMoney ServiceUSA/NE; HoraceHines, managingdirector – JNMSUSA; Maxine Hinds, regional manager – JNMS USA/ SE; and Sanya Wallace, senior manager, strategy & marketing, JNMS. The store, locatedon a revitalized stretchof Boston Road at the corner of Fish Avenue, will serve a growing clientèle in that part of the city in time for the holidays. Persons who visited the facility throughout the day were treated to Caribbean snacks, giveaways, and music by DJ Oxtail of Road International Disco. JN Money opens Bronx store! EASY AS 1-2-3. The smiles on the faces of these three customers sum up their appreciation for the convenience that the new JN Money store at 3418 A Boston Road will offer in doing business with families and friends in Jamaica. Sanya Wallace (left), senior manager, strategy & marketing with JNMS, presents a tote bag to this happy, smiling customer after she completed her transaction at the new JN Money store, 3418 A Boston Road (Fish Avenue), Bronx, on Saturday, October 30. ON YOU MARK. SET. CUT. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS THE WE KLY GLEANER | NOVEMBER 4 - 3