HAPPY: Calabar High School team members after defeating Manchester High School on Tuesday night. From left are Shane Batchelor, Dwayne Goode, Don Dobson and Shawn Batchelor. - Dennis CokeBy Ingrid Brown, Staff Reporter
AT FIRST it appeared Manchester High had a good chance of victory, but as they started losing points in the buzzer segment their confidence went, making a clear path for Calabar to advance to the semi-finals in TVJ's School Challenge Quiz 2001 on Tuesday night.
It was a wide margin of victory with Calabar beating Manchester High 34 to 11.
At the end of the first segment, Manchester High was actually leading by one point with Calabar on 11. The speed segment, however, proved quite a disappointing affair for both teams who answered a lot of the questions incorrectly.
Despite this Calabar pushed ahead to emerge with 22 points to Manchester High's 17 at the end of the section. It was however, the buzzer section, which saw Manchester High team answering all but one of their answers incorrectly, resulting in the loss of points.
Calabar, who remained confident throughout the match, used the buzzer segment to their advantage. So eager were they that they were twice reprimanded by quiz mistress Marline Stephenson for answering before being identified.
"We were very prepared and so we felt confident that we would win," said Don Dobson, 18-year-old Calabar team member.
The other team members, Shane and Shawn Batchelor, 17, and Dwayne Goode said their win was due to 'the four C's'. "We were cool, calm, composed and collective and that helped us," one of the members told THE STAR shortly after their win.
A disappointed Manchester High team and their supporters quickly departed the studio, while the Calabar boys and their coaches Mark McFarlene and Paul Watson basked in the glory.
When asked how prepared and confident they were for their next match, McFarlene said; "We are doing things one step at a time. We were prepared for this match so now we will go and prepare for the other."
