Diamond Utd get $653,000 pavilion

AFTER a three-year wait Diamond United Sports Club will soon have a new $653,000 pavilion by year end. At the sod-turning ceremony for the B-class pavilion at Papourie Road, Diamond Village, yesterday, area councillor Premchand Sookoo observed that a number of factors had stalled construction, which had been earmarked to start since August 2001. However, he said, the Local Government Ministry had since approved the required funding and the pavilion was now expected to be officially opened in November.

Sookoo pointed out, the new facility would include halls, male and female change rooms, and a  kitchen area, and also urged club members to “treat the pavilion as your own.” Earlier club member Richard Jugmohan said, the club founded over 42 years  ago, had produced a number of talented national players but noted it had  been forced to forgo promotion due to a lack of the necessary infrastructure, which included promotion to the Professional Football league. Diamond were recently promoted to compete in the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) Super League after topping the First Division competition.

Meanwhile, Penal/Debe Regional Corporation chairman Dr Allen Sammy, said beach-volley had been included into the corporation’s schedule of sporting disciplines and expressed the desire that the sport could be facilitated at either the Diamond Sports club grounds or the Seapaul Recreation Ground. Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal said, while Trinidad and Tobago had recieved the “brown package” for the International Cricket Council’s World Cup 2007 competition,  “we are not a brown package region.” And he expresed the desire that the pavilion’s construction  would mark the start of the area’s ability to host a variety of international sporting events includiong both regional and international cricket matches.