Cuba, February 8, 2005 The Cuban National League will complete its first round this weekend with matches in two cities. On Friday the sport momentarily will have a farewell from its main scenario, The Kid Chocolate Pavilion in Havana, and the next day will go to the 19 de Noviembre Gymnasium in the western city of Pinar del Rio.

If something have distinguished during the first round of the tournament is the balance of the four women and the five men squads, and the rivalry in each gender.

Nevertheless, Santiago de Cuba and Havana City in the men’s side, and Camaguey and also Havana City among the women, have shown with its performances thus far they are the best options for the finals next March.

The big news during the last weekend was the victory by the boys from Matanzas who were flirting with the triumph since the start of the tournament thanks to an excellent size despite their young age and the fact that they know how to play, independent that they show their immaturity in the big moments.

This team gathers the nucleus that will represent Cuba in the 2005 World Junior Championship in Italy next August, where they hope to improve from the sixth place of the 2001 edition in Poland.

Meanwhile, the boys from Santiago kept their unbeaten record thanks to the performance of guys like tall Yoan Llanes, the powerful Rolando Junquin and the experienced Pavel Pimienta, without ignoring Darien Ferrer, Yoandri Diaz, Walfrido Callard and libero Yasser Mederos.

Precisely the first three are in privileged positions among the best scorers, led by Llanes (54) followed by Walter Aguiar (45), Junquin (43), Miguel Dalmau, Pimienta, Yadier Sanchez and Michael Sanchez each with 38.

On the women’s side, the top scorer are Rosir Calderon (31) and Nancy Carrillo (28) escorted by Natali Grinan (24), Kenia Carcaces (23), Liana Mesa (22), Giselle Portuondo (18), Yeniset Gonzalez (15) and Yanelis Santos (11).

Standing (with sets won and lost in parenthesis). Women: Camagüey 3-0 (9 -1), Havana City 1-1 (4-3), Santiago de Cuba 0-2 (0-6) and Sancti Spiritus 0-1 (0-3). Men: Santiago de Cuba 4-0 (12-2), Havana City 2-1 (7-4), Pinar del Río 1-1 (3-4), Matanzas 1-3 (4-9) and Villa Clara 0-3 (2-9).