For Immediate Release
January 21, 2004

                       BONNEBELL to Sponsor
18th Maureen Connolly Brinker Cup
(U.S. vs. Australia)

Dallas…The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation has announced today BONNEBELL, an international cosmetic company based in Cleveland, Ohio will be the title sponsor of the 2004 MCB Cup and the event will be called the BONNEBELL  MCB Cup. For Bonne Bell, the sponsorship is one of many initiatives being pursued in support of Bonne Bell’s corporate mission to “encourage girls to celebrate who they are and who they want to be.”  With offices in the U.S and Australia, this tournament is an example of how BONNEBELL supports girls in sports worldwide.

This competition began in 1977 when Jess Bell, president of Bonne Bell Inc. and Mrs. Frank Jeffett, president of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation, decided to create a competition between the USA and Australia to promote the development of girls’ junior tennis. The event, officially sanctioned by both nations, features the top six girls from each nation – four 14’s and two 12’s playing the best of fifteen matches over three days. 

It is a very competitive match where both teams are playing for the honor of their country.  The United States Tennis Association selects the U.S. team and Tennis Australia selects their team according to International Tennis Federation regulations. 

Bonne Bell was the first sponsor of the event and also donated the magnificent silver Bonne Bell Trophy.

“Supporting girls athletics has long been a tradition for Bonne Bell”, states Bonne Bell Chairman Buddy Bell. “Through the years, Bonne Bell has sponsored a wide variety of girls sports including skiing, running, cheerleading, soccer, and tennis.  We were one of the first companies to realize the relationship between teens feeling good and looking good”.

The 2004 BONNEBELL  MCB Cup will be held at the beautiful Royal South Yarra Club in Melbourne, Australia from March 12 –14.  The United States continues to lead the competition United States: 14 and Australia: 3.

 This event is one of the many tournaments presented by the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation to further junior tennis development in the United States and around the world.

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