Hartley Neita, Contributor

Not so long ago, the countdown to Cricket World Cup 2007 was by months. Now it is a matter of days when this tournament will take place in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Somehow, the annual schoolboys and schoolgirls championships which will take place before the World Cup are almost being ignored. It is the first big one.

These annual championships are just three years away from celebrating a century, and in that time have placed Jamaica more prominently on the international map than cricket. For, let's face it, it is the West Indies and not Jamaica which is identified with cricket. In addition, big-time cricket is played in perhaps less than 20 countries in the world, while track and field is global in its reach. And believe me, I am not denigrating cricket - I played it in my earlier years while I was always among the also-rans in races, from the sprints to the miles.

I was going through my files and my memory this past week, and found many very interesting facts about these championships which I thought I would share with you.

First of all, they began in 1910 at Sabina Park in which six schools participated - Wolmer's, Jamaica College, St. George's College, Potsdam (now Munro), New College (which was situated on lands now occupied by the Ministry of Finance), and the Mandeville Middle Grade School. Wolmer's won. Incidentally, the games were completed in half a day.

Long and high Jumps

Now hear this. The high jumps and long jumps were not competed according to age, but by the height of the boys. Class One was for boys over 5 feet 2 inches. Class Two was for boys who were shorter. The winner of the Class One high jump leapt 5' 3". It was a standing high jump. And there was no foam on which the boys landed. They did so on the hard earth. For the pole vault, there was a straw mattress on which to land. The mattress was introduced for the high jump in 1936, and saw-dust, laid one foot above the ground, in 1950.

In 1911, 1912 and 1913, only four schools participated. Today, over 60 boys' schools and some 75 girls' schools are involved.

'Properly attired spectators'

Spectators attending those games were 'properly attired'. Men wore suits with waistcoats and hats, and ladies were gowned, wore gloves and hats and carried parasols. In fact, according to The Gleaner's sports reporter, "certain events, called for hats to be thrown in the air as the winners breasted the tapes".

Incidentally, some of the school cries or cheers had words which were not exactly decent, and schools were warned that future use of these cheers would result in the schools being banned from the competition.

Throwing the cricket ball was an event in the competition until 1937, and John Searchwell of Titchfield had the distinction of being the only schoolboy to win it three years in succession.

The one-mile race was run for the first time in 1942, as the organisers felt it "inadvisable on account of the climate to have schoolboys race over such a distance". Another first was in 1949 when throwing the discus was introduced.

Schoolgirls took part in these championships for the first time in 1953. They had had their own championships from 1941. Their presence was to add colour and glamour to the games. Now, of course, they have become an integral part of the championships and in some cases have exceeded the boys as an attraction.