Gardner first out the blocks in Supreme Domino Master Series

After all the hype and excitement that followed the build-up, the Supreme Ventures Domino Master Series Tournament officially started at Pier 1, Montego Bay, on Sunday with the first in a series of islandwide stops.

Participants showed up in droves to compete for the title of National Domino Champion and in the end, Jerry Gardner secured his spot in history as the tournament's first community winner.

Gardner staved off the challenge of Allan Harris, Licidius Nelson and crowd favourite and hometown boy Gavin Simpson to claim the grand prize of $150,000. In second place was Harris who went home with $100,000, while Nelson and Gavin Simpson secured third and fourth place, respectively, and pocketed $75,000 and $50,000 each.

The top 16 players secured their places in the grand finals which are set for June 11.

Following a successful first staging out west, Executive Chairman of Supreme Ventures Limited, Gary Peart, gave a thumbs up to what is already billed to be an exciting competition.

"We are pleased with the turnout for the first tournament in the series. The team at Supreme Ventures recognised that dominoes is a staple in Jamaican culture, so this tournament is a big deal for us. We see the potential of dominoes as a sport, and as a company that not only provides entertainment but games of skill for our players to win every day, we are excited about taking dominoes to another level in Jamaica".

The tournament's next stop will be at Miggie's Sports Bar in Spanish Town, on March 19 and Dwayne Tulloch, senior vice-president of Retail and Customer Operations thanked the participants from Montego Bay who turned out for the inaugural match in the series.

"We are grateful for the support that we've received, and for every person who turned out to participate in or to watch the first tournament. Congratulations to the winner and to those who earned their spots in the finals. We encourage all Jamaicans to come out and participate at the other stops where we will be providing wholesome entertainment and of course the opportunity for every domino player to vie for a chance at becoming the national domino champion."