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Glenmuir thrashes Belair

WINNERS: Members of the winning Glenmuir High team pose for photographs after they beat Belair High 52-28. (L-R) Miguel Wright, Donovan Edwards, Oral Young and Romaine Simpson. - Carlington Wilmot

GLENMUIR HIGH SCHOOL became the first team in the 2004 season of TVJ's Schools' Challenge Quiz competition to cross the 50-point mark. This after their 52-28 thrashing of opponents Belair High school from Manchester.

Glenmuir, who are also the number one seed in this the 35th renewal of the competition seemed poised and ready for battle before the start of the game. The team comprising captain Oral Young, Donovan Edwards, Miguel Wright and Romaine Simpson arrived at the station's South Odeon Avenue studios early and patiently awaited their opponents. And from the practice match which took place prior to the actual game, Glenmuir stated their intentions. They missed one question in that segment, while Belair answered only two questions correctly.

However, in the first section Belair fared better. In this section where questions are posed alternately to each team, Belair answered eight questions correctly. The section ended Glenmuir 11 - Belair 8. Glenmuir gained an additional point prior to the start of the second section as the judges agreed that an answer they gave to a Chemistry question was correct. This put the scores at 12-8 in favour of Glenmuir.

In the second section, where teams are given three alternate one-minute time periods with which to answer questions, Glenmuir added 20 points to their score. They closed the segment on 32 points; Belair had eight less.

Unfortunately for them, they would not be able to add much more to that as Glenmuir went on an answering frenzy in the third and final section. In that round, teams respond to questions by ringing a buzzer and the team that buzzes first gets the opportunity to answer; each correct answer values two points, each incorrect answer means two points will be subtracted.

From the onset, Glenmuir was quicker than their opponents. They were so quick, that in many cases they even pressed the buzzer before the question was completed. Most teams who try this tactic end up on the losing end, as most times their answer does not match the question. Glenmuir showed that they were not most teams, as they answered correctly to all but two questions they responded to in that manner. Belair for their part were only given the chance at answering two questions, they got both correct and pushed their tally up to 28. At the end of the match, the Glenmuir and Belair teams were in animated conversation with words of congratulations being passed from Belair.

Their captain Delroy DeSilva explained that he and two other members of his team, who were also his brother and sister, Javaughn and Kydene, attended Glenmuir up until last year.

"We know them (Glenmuir) very well," said DeSilva. "When we saw that we were going to be playing them there was some fear. We did not really want them for a first match because we know them and we are friends," he added. The other member of the Belair team was Larieka Peck

When Glenmuir's captain Young was asked if his team wished they had not played their friends first he responded, "No, that was of no concern to us. It's called tough love."

Before the teams left the studio a member of Belair's team begged Glenmuir, "please just don't mek nuh town school beat you." However, last year Glenmuir's foil was another rural school, the defending champions Munro College, who beat them in the third round.

Tonight's match will be DeCarteret College versus Morant Bay High.