SVG, Grenada Top WI School Games

After occupying the last place for a few years, St. Vincent and the Grenadines made home court advantage count, as they tied for the top spot with Grenada, when the Canadian Bank Note (CBN) Winlott Inc. Windward Islands School Games ended here last Saturday.{{more}}

Host St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada both finished on 31 points.

The Vincentians were victorious in Football and Netball and placed second in Male and Female Basketball, third in Male and Female Volleyball and last in Track and Field.

The Grenadians placed first in Male and Female Basketball, first in Track and Field, second in Netball, third in Football, and last in both Male and Female Volleyball.

Dominica finished a close third with 29 points, accumulated from their second places in Track and Field, Male and Female Volleyball, and placed third in Male and Female Basketball as well as Netball.

St. Lucia finished last, championing in the Male and Female Volleyball, third in Track and Field but placed last in the other four segments. The St. Lucians’ points tally was 21.

But the host only had themselves to blame as they were in an easy position to take the Female Basketball last week Friday, but choked when it mattered most, losing to Grenada 34-66 in the decider. At the other end, St. Lucia edged out Dominica 36-34.

The previous day, Thursday, the male Basketball matches were rained out, while in Female Volleyball, St. Lucia humbled Grenada 3-1, and Dominica beat SVG also 3-1. In male action Dominica whipped Grenada 3-1. SVG went under to St. Lucia 2-3. The Vincentians won the first two sets 25-13, 25-16, but lost the other three at 16, 15 and finally 8-15.

The last round of Female Volleyball saw SVG losing to St. Lucia also, 2-3 and Dominica blanked Grenada 3-0.

The Vincentian footballers though, formalised their dominance with a 3-1 score line over Grenada and Dominica came from behind to beat St. Lucia 2-1.

And, in Netball last Saturday, the host distanced Grenada 56-30 in a lopsided affair, but Dominica and St. Lucia provided the general trend of the keenly contested Games with a 30 all tie.

At the Closing Ceremony held last Saturday night at the Methodist Church Hall in Kingstown, awards were distributed to the Most Valuable Player of each discipline from each of the four participating islands.

The winning coaches of the disciplines were also rewarded with trophies for their inputs.

The ceremony was addressed by this country’s Minister of Education Girlyn Miguel, and Chief Education Officer, Susan Dougan delivered the Welcome Remarks. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Laura Browne gave the Vote of Thanks.

Theophilia Charles, Team Manager of the 2010 host country, St. Lucia, gave evaluative remarks on behalf of the other managers.

The Inter-School Tournament among the Windward Islands was inaugurated in 1922, with the first three tournaments in 1922, 1923 and 1924, seeing participation by St. Lucia and St. Vincent. Grenada entered the fray in 1925. It was not until 1947, owing to a gap occasioned by World War II that saw full participation by all four islands.