Digicel National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships ...Linden become most successful team in Nationals history

Digicel National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships …Linden become most successful team in Nationals history

Nov 26, 2016 Sports

By Edison Jefford
Upper Demerara/Kwakwani, which is more familiarly known as Linden, became

East Georgetown’s Linton Mentis (right) manages to hold off New Amsterdam’s Stayon Wilson in the Under-20 Boys 400m Final yesterday at the National Stadium.

the most successful team in the history of the National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships after winning its 15th overall title last night at the National Stadium, Providence.
Linden broke the deadlock with North Georgetown with an emphatic win in the athletics contest to become the leader in overall titles. Before last night, both teams had 14 titles apiece. Linden is now the winner of back-to-back titles after winning last year.
The champions amassed 666.75 points to claim the athletics title ahead of Corentyne on 483 points and Essequibo Islands/West Demerara on 463 points. East Coast was fourth on 449 points while North Georgetown surged to fifth with 440.5 points.
The win for Linden and its second place finish in the Swimming and Cycling competitions was enough to give the team the overall title, despite not doing so well in the Teachers’ competition, which Essequibo Islands/West Demerara won for the third straight year.
Overall, Upper Demerara/Kwakwani put together 65 points to beat North Georgetown (59 points) into second place again. South Georgetown was third overall with 55 points while West Demerara finished fourth on 53 points. Corentyne rounded out the top five teams on 50 points.
East Georgetown was sixth with 44.5 points with Bartica seventh on 41 points, East Coast Demerara eighth on 40.5 points, North West ninth on 40 points and New Amsterdam and Essquibo Coast/Pomeroon 10th on 32.5 points.

Linden’s Compton Caesar brings home the gold for his team in the Boys’ U-20 4x100m.

East Bank Demerara finished 12th overall on 31 points while West Coast Berbice was 13th on 30 points, Rupununi 14th on 18 points and rounding out the 15 competing Districts from across the country Potaro/Siparuni on 15 points.
East Georgetown’s, Linton Mentis provided the perfect start to the final day of the five-day competition when he edged New Amsterdam’s Stayon Williams (50.6) in the U-20 Boys’ 400m with 50.5 seconds. North Georgetown’s Darius Austin (53.3) was third.
In the Girls’ race, West Demerara’s Kezra Murray (1:01.9) restricted West Coast Berbice’s Denita Jackson (1:02.9), who had won the 100m and 200m races, to second. North Georgetown’s Ruth Sanmoogan finished third 1:03.5 seconds.
North Georgetown’s Samuel Lynch won the Boys’ U-18 400m race in 50.7 seconds, upsetting favorite, Linden’s Daniel Williams (51.5), who had also won the 100m and 200m events. Corentyne’s Jakeem Benn (51.9) was third.
Caribbean jumps queen, Chantoba Bright, who is a double CARIFTA Games silver medalist, made light work of her opponents in the Girls’ U-18 race. Bright ran 59.9 seconds ahead of New Amsterdam’s Tandika Haynes (1:02.2) and East Coast’s Toyan Raymond (1:03.7) respectively.
West Coast Berbice’s Godwin Humphrey sprinted to the U-16 title in 52.2 seconds ahead

Linden receives the ‘Champion of Champion’ trophy last night from Digicel’s Sponsorship and Events Executive, Louanna Abrams (centre) after the Closing Ceremony.

of North Georgetown’s Daniel Benjamin, who posted 53.0 seconds and New Amsterdam’s Jamal Millington, who had 53.7 seconds for second and third in that order.
Linden’s Deshanya Skeete registered her second upset of the competition when she posted another big victory against Kenisha Phillips in the Girls’ U-16 race. Skeete ran 57.7 seconds to edge Phillips (57.9) while East Coast Kisanna Glen (1:03.7) was third.
In the Boys’ U-14 category, East Coast’s Benel Ogle ran 56.7 to win ahead of Corentyne’s Tyrese Wharton (57.9) and North Georgetown’s Devon Abel (58.2). Yesinia Andrews was on top of her game again for North Georgetown with the Girls’ title in 1:01.4 seconds.
East Georgetown’s Princess Browne (1:01.6) and Essequibo Islands/West Demerara’s Keliza Smith (1:01.0) were second and third respectively.
Before the 400m Finals yesterday, Corentyne’s Samuel Jordan, who had leaped to a massive record of 7.20m in the Boys’ U-18 Long Jump electrified scores that turned out in a High Jump showdown against Linden’s Daniel Williams.
The two eventually exited at 191m with Jordon taking the title and Essequibo Islands/West Demerara’s Torque Boyce (188m) third. Digicel was the title sponsor of the 56th edition of the National Schools’ Championships with Banks DIH under its Malta Supreme and Rainforest Water also a sponsor.