Lawrence Harvey celebrates with his daughter Lariecia Harvey shortly after she won the Gleaner Children's Own Spelling Bee 2009 for Trelawny yesterday. - Ian Allen/Photographer

IT WAS a Granville Primary one-two yesterday. Lariecia Harvey and Nigel Phillips went head-to-head until the former was declared winner in what must have been a bittersweet victory for teacher Cassandra Scott and the entire Granville Primary family.

The event was the Trelawny leg of The Gleaner's Children's Own Spelling Bee 2009-10 parish finals.

"I'm happy; I'm happy for them too," Scott revealed, with a proud smile on her face. It was her first time coaching both spellers; her wards last year failing to sparkle.

Inconsolable

She explained that the school had no official spelling club, but one was on the way. The spellers, however, meet every evening.

Lariecia, too, was all smiles as she was congratulated by many, including her father, Lawrence Harvey. But Nigel was inconsolable. So used was he to always finishing ahead of all 20 spellers at his school, Lariecia included, that his second-place finish and champion-boy status still seemed a loss to him.

Both spellers presented a picture of contrast at the William Knibb Memorial Baptist Church Hall in Falmouth, with an awkward embrace between Lariecia, who was all smiles, and teary-eyed Nigel.

The two nine-year-olds were among the smallest of the 36 competitors in the short contest.

The final spelldown saw both stumbling on the word immigrant. Then Nigel misspelt I-D-E-A-L-I-S-M, which Lariecia correctly spelt and went on to win with I-D-E-N-T-I-F-I-A-B-L-E.

Scott explained that they planned to "continue working even harder" to improve for the national finals next year.

tennesia.malcolm@gleanerjm.com

Number of schools: 20

Number of spellers: 36

Overall winner: Lariecia Harvey

Champion boy: Nigel Phillips

Winning word: I-D-E-N-T-I-F-I-A-B-L-E

Winning school: Granville Primary

Top five

1. Lariecia Harvey, Granville Primary

2. Nigel Phillips, Granville Primary

3. Martina Richards, Albert Town Primary

4. Shantal Delaney, Holland High

5. Rohan Stephenson, Clark's Town Primary