PULL! PULL! Junior girls' tug-o-war champions House Armstrong giving their all to beat Deighton.

by SHERRYLYN CLARKE

BY THE TIME Daniel Burke handed the baton to Alvaro Holder, it was all over.

With the final event deciding the championship, not even the best efforts of Marlon Brathwaite could save Collymore, and House Deighton are the new track and field champions at Harrison College.

Waved home by a sea of red – including one lady in the Louis Lynch Stand with fiery red hair – Deighton (Red) took top honours at the National Stadium yesterday with 989.5 points following their victory in the open boys' 4x400 metre relay.

The quartet set a new record of 3 minutes, 43.53 seconds, stripping a full second (3:44.50) off the record set by Dalton last year.

Collymore (Green) had to settle for second place with 974 points, unable to maintain the slim lead they held before the relays and tug-o-war. Two-time defending champions Dalton (Yellow) slipped to third with 851 points, and Armstrong last with 739.5.

Burke, last year's inter-school victor ludorum, took the senior victor ludorum crown with 53 points. Competing in the Under-17 division for the first time, he excelled in the field, winning the discus, high jump, long jump and triple jump. He was second in the 400 metres, third in the shot put and 1 500 metres and 100-metre hurdles, fourth in the javelin and 400-metre hurdles, and sixth in the 100 and 200 metres.

The senior victrix ludorum title went to Dalton's Najuma Comissiong who added two more records to her tally. She posted 5:25 minutes in the Division 2 Girls' 1 500 metres and 2:33.5 in the 800 metres. She also won the 3 000, 400 metres and 300-metre hurdles, was second in the high jump and picked up points in the triple jump, 100-metre hurdles, long jump and 200 metres.

Tyrell Forde of Collymore, a name to watch for at inter-school sports, was the junior victor ludorum. He set a new record of 11.53 seconds in the 80-metre hurdles and 11.66 metres in the Under-15 Boys' triple jump. He dominated the division with 76 points, also winning the discus, shot put, long jump, 400, 200 and 100 metres. He was third in the high jump, fifth in the javelin, 800 and 1 500 metres, and sixth in the 3000.

Housemate Erin Carter took the junior girls' title with wins in the 400, 800 and 1 500 metres, was second in the 200 and 300-metre hurdles, third in the long jump, 100 and 80-metre hurdles and fourth in the high jump.

Several other records fell by the wayside. CARIFTA athletes Kimberley Stanford clocked 15.26 seconds in the Under-20 Girls' 100-metre hurdles down from 16.25 metres and Sheldon Roach 42.01 metres in the Under-20 Boys' discus; Alyssa Gibbons threw 27.56 metres in the Under-15 Girls' javelin; Nicholas Worrell clocked 25.01 seconds in the Division Four Boys' 200 metres; Armstrong's 4x100 metre senior girls team posted 51.68 seconds – down from 52.35 since 1988 – and Dalton's senior girls 4:26.11, lowering the mark set back in 1996 by another Dalton team.

Honour Roll

Division One Girls: Kimberley Stanford (Armstrong) 29 points.

Division One Boys: Alvaro Holder (Deighton) 47.

Division Two Girls: Najuma Comissiong (Dalton) 52.

Division Two Boys: Daniel Burke (Deighton) 53.

Division Three Girls: Jalisa Carvalho (Dalton) 550.

Division Three Boys: Tyrell Forde (Collymore) 76.

Division Four Girls: Erin Carter (Collymore) 50.5.

Division Four Boys: Nicholas Worrell (Deighton) 37.

Division Five Girls: Ashea Lovell (Deighton) 46.

Division Five Boys: Joshua Gay (Dalton) 30.5.