Adrian Frater, News Editor
Desrick Brooks (front) of STETHS on his way to victory in the 800m Class One boys' event on Tuesday at the Western Championships in Montego Bay. - PHOTO BY ADRIAN FRATER
WESTERN BUREAU:
ON A day which ended in mass confusion at the Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay, St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and Manning's High were declared the unofficial winners of the girls' and boys' titles respectively at Tuesday's Western High Schools Athletics Championship.
While point standings were issued at regular intervals during the course of the day, when the meet ended shortly after 6:00 p.m., the organisers were clueless as to the final placing of the schools and other pertinent information such as who had won the various sections or which athletes had emerged as the class champions.
"I still don't know which schools won what," said Manning's High School sports mistress Diana Gopaulsingh, when The Gleaner spoke to her yesterday morning, more than 14 hours after the one-day championship ended.
"I believe we won the boys' section but I could not say so definitively," Gopaulsingh said.
Because there was also no information on the records established over the years, there was no way of knowing whether any records were broken in the one-day championship which features only finals. Two elimination meets were staged prior to Tuesday's event.
Based on the unofficial standings going in the last three events - the 4x400m girls' and boys' Open and a re-run of the disputed Class Two 100m - the placing of the top five schools in the boys' and girls' sections read as follows: Girls - STETHS - - Manning's - 375, Herbert Morrison - 213, Mt. Alvernia - 132 and Godfrey Stewart - 107. Boys: Manning's -295, Herbert Morrison - 290, Cornwall College - 225, STETHS 159 and Lewisville - 129.
On the girl's side, Godfrey Stewart's Latoya Buchannan had a brilliant championship, claiming the Class One sprint triple - 100m (12:07), the 200m (23:50) and the 400m (57:30). STETHS's Rochelle Farquharson and Judith Powell were also double winners on the programme. Farquharson copped the Class Four 70m hurdles (11:90) and 100m (12:67) while Powell took the Class Two 800m (2:22:53) and the 300m Open (10:55:61).
In the relays, Manning's were the only double winners among the girls, claiming the Class Three 4x100m (48:07) and the 4x400m Open (3:56.43).
Among the boys, there were a number of double winners, especially in Class One where Cornwall College's Ravel Grey clinched the sprint double 100m (10:35) and 200m (21:42), STETHS' Richard Farqharson took the 100m hurdles (14:80) and the 400m hurdles (48:60) and Desrick Brooks, also of STETHS, captured the 800m (2:00.15) and the 5,000m (16:43.29).
Manning's Class Four athletes Omar Johnson was the other double winner among the boys, winning the 100m (11:60) and the 400m (55:28).
In the male relays, Manning's were the only double winners, taking the Medley Open (3:18.0) and the 4x400m Open (3:18.01).
