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It seems like Happy Days Are Here Again for the Cayon Basketball Club as the group officially launched the 2019 Clive Tyson Memorial Basketball League on Saturday evening 28th September 2019. Vice President Tyron O’Loughlin gave brief welcoming remarks in which he expressed thanks to the establishments and individuals who provided sponsorship support. He made reference to the financial contributions of Commercial Diving Academy (CDA), Royal Utilities, Sugars and FLOW and then called on Hon Eugene Hamilton to give some insight into what had led to the welcomed resumption of the league.

Minister Hamilton (who is the elected representative for Constituency eight which includes Cayon) first took the time to call for a moment’s silence in honour of the late Clive Tyson; a former Cayon basketballer who had collapsed and died while on a training run at the beach several years ago. The league was thereafter initiated in Tyson’s honour.

Hamilton then reflected upon a time in the distant past when he had used his connections with Western Union to source uniforms for basketball players of Cayon. He indicated that he was therefore very thrilled when Vice President O’Loughlin contacted him expressing the intention of his club to reactivate the league which had floundered as a result of constraints related to crime and violence in the area. The new sense of peace and goodwill in the community had given rise to a rekindling of hope in the youth of the area and hence the opportunity to re-engage through sporting activities.

Minister Hamilton paid tribute to CDA, Royal Utilities and Sugars from whom he was instrumental in getting financial support amounting to EC$ ten thousand along with six match balls as an additional donation from Royal Utilities. He also expressed appreciation to FLOW for its contribution of EC$1,500 in their show of solidarity towards the youth of the area.

The league is comprised of eight teams as follows:
1. Alley Empire of Water Works, Cayon
2. Burning Tribe of Cunningham
3. Radicals of Upper cayon
4. Twenty-four Seven (24/7) of Upper Cayon
5. Jam Ballers community-wide
6. Shock Dem community-wide (group of legends)
7. Rogue of Basseterre
8. TBH of Keys
Matches will be played on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Maynard’s Park Basketball Court and will run until the middle of November.

According to Vice President O’Loughlin, it was deemed important that the league should have open arms to embrace players beyond Cayon as a symbolic extension of the peace and goodwill emanating from recent initiatives to address the challenges associated with crime and violence among youth in our nation. Several persons in the community have also been expressing excitement and hope that indeed the words of the well-known song “Happy Days Are Here Again” “No More Sorrow. No More Pain” will ring out all across the nation. They are welcoming the prospect of a bright future for young basketballers and others as they seek to hone their various talents while developing lasting friendships.