their bid to qualify for the World Cup and for bringing the Country together.

Sen. Trevor Woolridge led with the tribute to the team by asking the Upper House to send congratulations.

He expressed admiration for the team's "outstanding performance''.

"Regardless of the score,'' he said, "they will always remain winners in the eyes of Bermuda.'' And he said Bermuda can only benefit from the exposure of the team to the international scene.

Sen. Woolridge also asked the Senate to send a letter of congratulations to the president and Board of Trustees chairman of his alma mater, Allen University in South Carolina.

Noting that the historically black university had a "tremendous'' soccer team some years ago when the majority of the team were Bermudian, he said many of the Bermudians who attended the university went onto successful careers.

But he said the 122-year-old university ran into rough times in the 1980s.

It lost its accreditation in 1983 and was also $3.4 million in debt.

"Everyone was waiting for it to shut its doors,'' Sen. Woolridge said. "But today Allen University is debt free and this past summer it got its accreditation back.'' The Hon. Maxwell Burgess concurred with Sen. Woolridge's remarks about the national team.

He said the Senate should also recognise the sacrifice made by the team and its sponsors, particularly The Bank of Bermuda.

Sen. Burgess also asked that congratulations be sent to all they young people who participated in the Premier's Concert last weekend at City Hall.

He noted that recent reports showed Bermuda's Olympic Team did well in Barcelona, Spain. Reports indicated that Bermuda would have placed first on a per capita basis.

Sen. Burgess also asked the Upper House to send congratulations to organisers of the Rugby Classic. He said the "world-class'' event was a revenue generator for the country as a whole.

And he asked that condolences be sent to the family of the late Mrs. Thelma Eloise (Creighton) "Polly'' Steede of Hamilton Parish.

"My affection for cricket could be attributed to her,'' he said.

Sen. Norma Astwood asked the Senate to send condolences to the family of the late Dr. Thomas Stowe who was buried last weekend.

The former chairman of the Bermuda Dental Board was well known in the community and will be greatly missed, she said.

Sen. Astwood also praised secondary school students who participated in the Bermuda Junior Service League's annual debate two weeks ago at Stonington.

UBP Sen. Jerome Dill asked that condolences be sent to the family of the late Mrs. Doris Vousden Gladwin who was an active member of the Altrusa Club, the Committee of 25, and the Bermuda Philharmonic.

On a happier note, he asked that a letter of encouragement be sent to the president of the local Dalhousie University Alumni Association and that a letter of congratulations be sent to the president of the university in Nova Scotia, Canada for establishing the first chair of black studies in Canada.

While congratulating participants in the Premier's Concert, PLP Sen. Ira Philip said it was unfortunate that "such a showcase of talent should be presented to such a restricted audience''.

He said it would be more rewarding for the youngsters if their performance could be a part of the Bermuda Festival.

Senate President the Hon. Albert Jackson joined in comments about the national team and the late Dr. Stowe.

And he said even though the Premier's concert was performed before a restricted audience due to the size of the venue, it showed that 100 young people were proceeding "very persistently and carefully'' with their special interest.

He scolded the media for its lack of coverage of the event, adding that if it had been 100 people out on Saturday night breaking the law, there would have been much more publicity.