Half day for schools

Schools in Tobago will be closed at half day today to allow students the opportunity to celebrate with the Soca Warriors at the Dwight Yorke Stadium later this afternoon.

While there wasn’t much hype about the team’s match against Peru, an air of excitement and anticipation ran through the island yesterday as Tobagonians prepared to welcome “the boys,” especially homeboys Capt Dwight Yorke and Cyd Gray, for the first time since they qualified for the World Cup in Germany in June.

Yorke and Gray were honoured by the THA during their 25th Anniversary celebrations last December while Gray was specially honoured by his former primary school, Roxbor-ough Anglican.

A few die-hard Warriors supporters, however journeyed to Trinidad to witness the farewell game while other enthusiasts proceeded to some of the popular sports bars that had advertised after work limes and opportunities to view the match on “big screen.”

The team will be met at the Crown Point International Airport by a welcome delegation at 2.30 pm before proceeding to the Dwight Yorke Stadium at Bacolet (named after the team’s skipper) where they will be greeted by Tobago House of Assembly officials.

An hour-long rally and cultural tribute is scheduled to kick off at 3.35 pm and will precede the motorcade which has been routed from Bacolet Street to Main Street and Carrington Street in Scarborough then to the Milford Road onto the Claude Noel Highway and will end at the Hilton Tobago.

The guests of honour will also appear at a cocktail reception hosted by THA Chief Secretary Orville London at the Mt Irvine Bay Hotel later this evening.

They are scheduled to depart the island on an 8 am flight for Trinidad tomorrow.