Jackson, Fearon shine at Kirkvine

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

VERE Technical High School's Class One athlete, Shericka Jackson, and Kingston College's Class Three runner, Roje Fearon, shone brightly in the 200 metres at Saturday's staging of the Kirkvine Development Meet at Windalco Sports Club.

Last year's runners-up at Boys and Girls' Championships, Kingston College and Edwin Allen High, gave signals that they will be big threats to respective champions Jamaica College and Holmwood Technical this year.

Jackson, who has stepped up in class, recorded the fastest time among all females, winning the Class One 200 metres in an impressive 23.2 seconds to follow up her great form at the meet, where she established the Class Two 200m record last year.

Fearon, a standout while competing for St. Francis Primary, romped to an overwhelming victory in 22.2 seconds as his teammate, Javaughn Mattherson, showed KC's depth in Class Three where he finished second in 22.6 seconds, the same time done by third best overall, Roshane Edwards of Munro College.

Outstanding 200m times

World Youth 100 metres bronze medallist, Christania Williams of Edwin Allen High, also shared the spotlight in the girl's 200 metres, clocking 23.6 seconds to be fastest among Class Two girls. Her teammate Monique Spencer stopped the clock at 23.8 seconds for the second-best time in the class.

In the other 200 events among high-school athletes, Edwin Allen High's Khamoy Farquharson (24.9) won in Class Four and Manchester High's Danielle Thompson won in Class Three in 24.8 seconds.

Among the boys, Herbert Morrison's Gavine Williams (21.3) in Class Two and Gremeiko Whitelocke of Green Island (21.0) in Class One emerged the overall winners.

The Michael Dyke-coached Edwin Allen showed that they will be hard to contain in the middle-distance events, with Desreen Montague and Marleena Ebanks spreadeagling their opponents in the 800 metres. Montague clocked 2:14.0 to beat Holmwood Technical's Janieve Russell, who finished second in 2:21.6, with Vere Technical's Taska Johnson third overall in 2:21.9.

Ebanks won Class Two in 2:17.7.

Good showing from brissett

Following her impressive showing at the Tyson Mills meet last December, Eltham High's Aneka Brissett kept up her promise by recording the fastest Class Three 400-metre time - 56.6 seconds - with Edwin Allen's Davia Smith second overall with 58.8. Wolmer's Girls' Krissann Brown topped Class Two in 57.8 seconds, while former Manchester High standout, Orinthia Bennett, who transferred to St Jago High's sixth form at the start of the school year, topped Class One with a 58.4-second run.

The boys' 400 metres were dominated by KC athletes. In Class Three, it was one-two for the Michael Russell-coached team as Javaughn Mattherson (51.7) won ahead of his teammate Dante Williams (52.9), while in Class Two the Purples' Chadayne Walton (51.0) won.

Delano Williams, a member of Munro College's outstanding 4x400 team last year, ruled the big boys in Class One, as he won overall in 49.0 seconds. Clarendon College's Brian Smith was second overall in 49.4 seconds.