By Randy Bennett
The Chefette/Frosteez National Athletic Primary Schools’ Championship (NAPSAC) finals couldn’t have had a more dramatic finish.
Crane Hilda Skeene Primary Blazers survived a disqualification scare to lift the girls’ title while Williams Industries West Terrace Tigers had to overcome a protest in the day’s last race to capture the boys’ title in sensational fashion at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex.
After initially having their victorious Under-9 girls’ 4×100 metres relay team disqualified, Hilda Skeene’s successful protest saw them reinstated as winners, with the 20 points awarded proving to be decisive.
It allowed them to finish on 183 points, 19 more than second placed Christ Church Girls (164), with Good Shepherd Primary in third position on 77 points and Shirley Chishlom Primary finishing fourth on 64 points.
Defending girls’ champions West Terrace were sixth on 60 points.
The West Terrace Tigers roared their way to the boys’ title.
Physical education teachers at Hilda Skeene, Ulric Batson and Serin Griffith, praised their charges for rising to the occasion.
“We are elated with the team’s performance. This is a culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice so we are very, very happy about today’s victory,” Batson told Barbados TODAY.
Tyajah Bushay of Hilda Skeene was crowned victrix ludorum. (Photo by Kemar Holder)
“We were third last year in the finals, so from that third place we immediately started putting plans in place on how we were going to go from third to first and we started training early from the summer and what you see today is just that execution,” Griffith added.
Aliyah Greaves of Trinity Academy broke the record in the Under-13 girls’ shot put.
Similarly, West Terrace had to await a decision following a protest which stemmed from the Open boys’ 800 medley relay.
In the end, their fifth place finish was upheld, giving them the necessary points to leapfrog Charles F Broome and emerge victorious among the boys.
The Tigers ended on 89 points, with Charles F Broome second on 86 points and Bayley’s Primary, which had led entering the relays, third with 83 points.
Charles F Broome’s Liam Howard-Niles took home the coveted victor ludorum title.
Last year’s boys’ champions Wesley Hall finished eighth on 41 points.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY moments after the results were announced, physical education teacher Rodrick Harmon said he was shocked by his team’s perseverance.
“I want to say this has got to be a victory chalked up to the goodness of God because when I was told that the unofficial results showed that we had won the boys I couldn’t believe it.
Under-11 boys’ divisional champion Nathan Phillips of Shirley Chishlom on his way to victory in the 200 metres.
“I knew the competition this year was very tight and I also knew that during the day we weren’t showing up at all, so to have come back even with the relays, and to have pulled it off, I would say that it had to be God,” Harmon maintained.
Hilda Skeene was led to the title by victrix ludorum Tyajah Bushay who turned in an unblemished performance in the Under-9 girls’ division.
The pint-sized speedster copped gold in the 80m (12.42), 100m (15.63) and 150m (23.37), on her way to accumulating 30 points.
Kalia Curwen of West Terrace won the Under-13 girls’ long jump. (Photos by ZM)
Hilda Skeene also received valuable points from Under-13 divisional champion Jaida Scott, who ended on 28 points.
Scott won the 200m (27.28), 400m (1:02.12) and placed second in the 100m (13.99), behind winner Janai Harvey of Shirley Chishlom Primary who clocked 13.82 seconds.
Despite being edged into second place, Charles F Broome still boasted of the victor ludorum in their Under-9 star athlete, Liam Howard-Niles.
Howard-Niles sped to victories in the 80m (11.81), 100m (14.76) and 150m (22.19) on his way to a 30-point performance.
One of the most exciting battles throughout the day took place in the Under-11 boys’ division between last year’s victor ludorum Nathan Phillips of Shirley Chisholm Primary, West Terrace’s Alex Jones-Ifill and Naquon Scantlebury of St Alban’s Primary.
Jatorie Norville-Haynes of Good Shepherd Primary won the Under-7 boys’ tennis ball throw.
Phillips, the eventual divisional champion, started off proceedings by winning the 300 metres in a time of 45.93 seconds.
However, Scantlebury blazed to victory in the 100 metres in a time of 13.64, with Jones-Ifill (13.87) second and Phillips (13.96) having to settle for third.
But Phillips redeemed himself in the 200 metres (28.15), crossing the finish line just ahead of Jones-Ifill (28.18) and Scantlebury (28.86).
Natarie Lavine of Hillaby Turner’s Hall was not only the joint Under-13 boys’ divisional champion but he also turned in the performance of the day.
Competing in the day’s final event, the Open boys’ 800 medley relay, Lavine, who had earlier won the 400 metres (1:02.35), collected the baton from his teammate dead last, about 30 metres behind the leader.
He ran an outstanding last leg, which brought the crowd to its feet, propelling his school to second position (2:02.82), just behind winners Arthur Smith Primary (2:02.19).
