National School Championships
East Georgetown dominate swimming
… North Georgetown sweep male cycling
By Faizool Deo
Guyana Chronicle
November 29, 2006
EAST Georgetown District with some household names in swimming including Niall Roberts who represented Guyana at the Carifta Swimming Championships earlier this year in Barbados, Christina Perreira and Tiffany Nedd, dominated the swimming competition of the 46th annual Ministry of Education/Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) National Schools’ Track and Field, Cycling and Swimming championships, which commenced yesterday.
North Georgetown District won 1-4 in the 25 kilometres Boys’ cycle road race, while they claimed the top spot in the 10k road race. East Georgetown were also able to win the Girls’ 10k.
SWIMMING
The East Georgetown district won a number of individual swim titles and claimed the top prize in the Girls’ relay and second place in the Boys’ relay at the Castellani Pool to finish with 268 points.
Winning the Boys’ relay was District 11, North Georgetown, who had the services of Guyana’s top junior swimmer Earlando McRae. In that race, McRae anchored and carried his team to a 25-metre win.
In the overall rating, second place went to District Seven, Bartica, with 195 points and third to defending champions District 10, Upper Demerara, with 189 points.
North Georgetown on paper had the strongest team. Along with McRae, there were Alan and Henk Lowe, Linden Wickham, Serrano Gonsalves, Krystal Robinson, Juliana Archer and Denica Summerson but they did not dominate and managed to gain only fourth place with 184 points.
East Coast Demerara finished fifth with 93 points, East Bank Demerara sixth with 60 points and West Coast Demerara seven with 59 points.
CYCLE ROAD RACE
Early yesterday morning, North Georgetown District swept the Boys’ cycle road race (40k) which coursed Georgetown to Enmore and back. The top junior cyclists finished 1-4. Christopher Holder claimed victory with 103:38 minutes, Geron Williams second (103:44), Enzo Matthews third (103:45) and Alonzo Greaves fourth (104:35).
Greaves received a setback when his chain burst in sight of the finish line and he had to change cycles.
Fifth place in that race went to Jason Bourne from Upper-Demerara (106.44), while Romel Bhagwandin claimed sixth (109.38). In the female event (25k), Upper Demerara’s Danna Wong rode to victory in a time of 104:35; second place went to Corentyne’s Elisha Henry (106:22) and third Bartica’s Lydia McAndrews (106:33).
ROAD RACE
Champion long distance runner Dennis Horatio representing North Georgetown District clocked a time of 35.44 minutes to win the male 10k race yesterday morning. Leonard Chapman from Upper Demerara finished second (36.54 minutes) while East Georgetown’s Patrick Bobb (37:05 finished third and Rupununi’s Cletus James fourth (38.13).
On the distaff side, it was Caribbean middle distance runner Alika Morgan who copped the top spot.
Morgan representing East Georgetown finished over two minutes before the second-place finisher. She clocked 40:47 minutes while Rupununi’s Marvalene Antone clocked 42.59 minutes. Third place went to Corentyne’s Malesa Vogie (53.04).
In the primary school cricket ball throw, North Georgetown District claimed the Under-8 male top spot, while the female top spot in the same age category went to East Bank Demerara. In the Under-10 division, West Demerara finished first for boys and Upper Demerara finished first for girls.
The championships move to the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground Bourda today, for the track and field and cycling.