By Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter
Favian Blagrove (right) of new champions Mannings School gets to the finish line ahead of Cornwall College's Anthony Vernon in the Class 2 Boys 400m at Tuesday's County of Cornwall Athletics Association's Western Championships at the Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine Hall. Blagrove won in 51.20 seconds from Vernon's 51.50 while Keniel Lee of Herbert Morrison (second left) was fourth in 52.40. - Patrick Campbell/Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
MANNINGS have sent a strong signal that they should not be discounted at the Victoria Mutual Building Society's (VMBS) National Championships later this month with a strong showing at the County of Cornwall Athletics Association's Western Champs finals on Tuesday.
Mannings scored 36 points in the Boys section at Champs last year to place 11th while the Girls had 22 points to place 14th.
Mannings became only the second school since St. Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) in 1989 to win both boys and girls' sections when they copped the double in Tuesday's finals held at the Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine Hall.
The Courtney Hughes-trained school compiled a massive 365.5 points, far more than the 309 they scored last year while beating second-placed STETHS by almost 120 points to retain the Girls section and took the Boys section with a late surge, scoring 22 points in the final two events, the Boys 5,000m and the 4x400m relays to pass Cornwall College and co-defending champions Herbert Morrison to snatch their first victory in years.
National Champs double medal winner last year Kenroy Williams, who earlier in the day fell in the Boys Class 1 800m final and finished down the track, produced a late kick to win the 5,000m in 16:53.75 ahead of Lewisville's Dexter Williams while another Mannings runner, Tashane Irving, finished in sixth place before the Mannings team returned to snatch second in the Mile Relay behind STETHS to complete the dramatic come back.
Cornwall who were in fourth place late in the day had also staged a comeback of their own, winning three of the four boys sprint relays including Class One in 41.70 seconds to equal the record and the Class Two in 43.40. Mannings finished with 332 points to edge Cornwall who staged a surprising challenge of their own to finish second with 318.5 points after a disappointing 2003 when they only scored 258 points and in fourth place, their worst finish in a long time. Herbert Morrison third on 316, followed by the other co-defending champions Munro who finished with 281.5 points.
This was the second straight year when the boys title came down to the last event after the top three schools all finished within 1.5 points of each other last year. The results were also outstanding with 14 records being broken and two equalled as Herbert Morrison's Nickesha Anderson and Mario Forsythe of Muschett won three events each; the Class One 100m, 200m and 400m respectively to end their Western Champs careers on a high.
They joined Mannings Shaneka Johnson who had also won three events and was voted the Overall girls winner with 34 points.
Anderson and Forsythe were also Class One champions while Mannings' Kalesa Spencer and Francine Blagrove were the Class Two and Three champions respectively scoring 18 points each while there was a three-way tie in the girls Class Four - Crystal Williams of STETHS, Shavena Rowe of Hampton and Judith Powell of Lewisville all with 16 points.
FINAL STANDINGS
Girls
Mannings 365.5, STETHS 247, Lewisville 219, HMTHS 217, Hampton 127, Maldon 86, Balaclava 79, William Knibb 43, Godfrey Stewart 36, Cambridge 32, Albert Town 26, Green Island 18, Muschett 15, Rusea's 13.5, Maggotty 1.
Boys
Mannings 332, Cornwall 318.5, HMTHS 316, Munro 281.5, STETHS 109.5, Lewisville 83, Green Island 60, Rusea's 48, Muschett 45, William Knibb 33, Balaclava 31, Maldon 30.5, Albert Town 27, Godfrey Stewart 20, Maggotty 1.
