Features

Slow march to victory for Petersfield

ricardo makyn
Members of the winning Petersfield High School team that defeated Herbert Morrison in the TVJ Schools' Challenge Quiz match on Tuesday.

LAST NIGHT'S TVJ's Schools' Challenge Quiz match between Petersfield Comprehensive High School and Herbert Morrison Technical High School was a boring battle to the bitter end. The match started off slower than cement hardening on a Sunday afternoon, and the only excitement came from the incorrect, eyebrow raising answers.

Almost two minutes into the match, the audience was still waiting for the teams to get their first point. As the end of the first segment approached, it became obvious that it would not be a high scoring match. At the end of the first segment, the scores were, Petersfield five, and Herbert Morrison, seven.

In the second section, both schools gave it all they could. The Manchester-based Petersfield, gained five points in their first minute, one in the second minute, and one in their final minute. They ended the section with 12 points.

Score changed

In the case of the St. James-based Herbert Morrison, they gained three points in the first minute, four in the second minute, and one in their final minute. They ended the section with 15 points, but the score was changed to 14, because they had given an incorrect answer which had previously been awarded as correct. They had been asked to name the larger of the two islands: Dominica, or Barbados. They had incorrectly answered Barbados.

After approximately two minutes, the audience was saved from an uneventful third section, when Petersfield answered a question in the music category ­ let's just say, Zumjay saved the day.

At the end of the match, the teams were tied at 20 points. The game went into sudden death and Herbert Morrison broke the tie, with a wrong answer to the question, "Name one of the hosts of 'Good Morning Jamaica'." They said Simon Crosskill, while the correct answer was Dorraine Samuels, or Alan Magnus.

The final scores were Petersfield, 20, and Herbert Morrison, 18.

The coach for Petersfield High School, Mrs. Naomi Kerr, told THE STAR: "I am very excited for them. I wish them all the best because they put in a lot of work and training." She, however said they needed to improve on their speed, and the main reason for them being slow was their nervousness.

The captain of the winning team, said, " I feel very good. We trained very hard. We are coming back stronger and better for the next match."

For the captain of the Herbert Morrison team, Michael Hayes, the match was an exciting one, "especially the final segment. My teammates played good and all, but not by far. So I guess the better team won."

Tune in to Monday's match on TVJ, to see Wolmer's Boys' School, battle Bridgeport Comprehensive High School.