Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
Newton Thomas of St Mary High competing in the Boys Class One Discus which he won with a throw of 35.90 metres at the Jamaica National Eastern champs at the Stadium East, yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
Oberlin High are ahead of main rivals and defending champions Morant Bay entering today's second day of the 2007 Jamaica National (JN)/Eastern Secondary Schools Sports (ESSSA) Eastern Championships inside the National Stadium.
At the end of day one at the meet sponsored by JN, the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited and Jamaica Citrus Growers through its Juciful brand, eight records tumbled at Stadium East Complex and Oberlin, with 127 points, lead Morant Bay (106) by 21.
Glengoffe (102), Yallahs (70), Buff Bay (62) and St. Thomas Technical (57) complete the top six teams.
In the male section, Oberlin lead with 85 over Morant Bay (68) and Glengoffe (65).
Oberlin are also out front in the female section with 42 points, again ahead of Morant Bay (38) and Glengoffe (37).
However, according to Morant Bay's coach Rohan Bryan, things will change at the end of today's second-day action inside the National Stadium.
10 points off
"Based on our weaknesses this year, we are about 10 points off ... but at the same time we are still in striking distance," he said.
"We are in most of the finals. We are in all the relay finals, except one (4x400m), so we are set (to retain our title). It's just for the athletes to come out tomorrow and compete," added Bryan, whose team is going for four straight titles.
He had high praises for the girls' team, which he described as his weak link coming into the championships.
"They are a little further than I thought, but the boys need to back up and get the extra points ..."
Oberlin's coach, Everton Leslie, said he suffered a setback with some of his girls, but is still optimistic.
Little disappointment
"Just a bit disappointed with the Class Four (100m and 200m) because that's the only area in which we have no finalists, along with the Class Three 4x100m," he said.
Despite that, he said: "We are still on target because we are in most of the finals."
Glengoffe's Natasha Morrison, who watched her two-year-old Class Four high jump record vanish, was the star of yesterday's opening day with two records.
She erased the Class Three 100m (12.23) and 200m (25.71) records, previously held by World Junior bronze medallist Carrie Russell of St. Thomas Technical, by running 12.16 and 25.69 in the preliminary round.
Danille Dowie of Titchfield broke Camille Soley's Class Three 400m record of 58.41 by running 57.26; Jodian Waldron of Oberlin ran 2:24.36 to break Peta-Gaye Johnson's three-year mark of 2:28.60; while Happy Grove's Akino Ming's 49.82 Class Two 400m time bettered the previous record of 50.70.
The boys Classes Two and Three 4x100m teams from Morant Bay also accounted for records, running 44.93 and 47.38 to erase their own records of 45.15 and 47.40 respectively.
Felecia Michelle leapt 1.55m to win the girls' high jump Class Two event and in the process equal the record of Trudy-Ann Powell of Morant Bay.
