Progressive Youth Club (PYC) edged 2006 national inter – club relay champions, Royal Youth Movement (RYM) by 12 points yesterday at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary to regain the title they held in 2005.
Progressive and Royal strategically set up a day of intense rivalry when the two Georgetown based clubs left the nearest competitor more than 100 points behind to signal a one on one contest.
At the end of the day of 130 events, PYC finished with 214 points to claim the top spot while RYM ended with 202 points to finish second. New Amsterdam Track Club (NATC) was third with 67 points.
PYC (formerly Police Athletic Club) won the Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) event in 2005. RYM turned in a strong performance to cop the title last year but now in 2007, PYC is the proud holder of the relay championship title.
NATC claimed the under – 15 boys and girls’ 4 x 100 m event ahead of RYM and PYC respectively in both events. RYM returned to take the under – 17 girls 4 x 100 m event with PYC and President’s College (PC) finishing in second and third positions respectively.
PYC turned the tables on RYM in the under – 17 boys’ 4 x 100 m race claiming the top place while knocking RYM into second and NATC into third. PYC out sprinted RYM in the under – 20 boys’ 4 x 100 m event, while Upper Demerara finished third.
RYM was the winner of both marquee events for the day – the men and women’s 4 x 100 m races with PYC finishing second in both events. There were only two competitors in both events.
PYC took top honours in the 4 x 400 m women’s event with RYM finishing second without a third competitor, but RYM returned in the men’s version of the race to stomp PYC into second while NATC took third.
NATC was first in the under – 15 girls’ 1300 m medley relay while RYM and PYC took second and third respectively. PYC took the under -15 boys’ 1300 m medley race with RYM second and PC third.
NATC also copped the under – 15 girls and boys’ 4 x 200 m relay ahead on RYM and PYC in the girls’ event and PYC and RYM in the boys’ event respectively. RYM finished ahead of PYC in both the men and women’s 4 x 200 m race.
Newly formed track and field club, Running Braves was not allowed to compete yesterday owing to a pending registration form with the AAG.
The barring of the club from competing prevented a few top athletes from showing their mettle at the Police ground. Those athletes included Rawle Greene, Emmerson Campbell, Jemel Fields and Tai Payne.
An executive of the Running Braves Athletic Club told Stabroek Sport yesterday that the club was told that it could not compete because its application to legitimise itself with the AAG had not been approved yet.
President of the AAG, Claude Blackmore admitted yesterday after the event that there were a few ‘anomalies’ that the AAG must sort out including the fact that some athletes ran for clubs that they were not a part of and outside their age categories.
“Athletes ran for clubs that they are not members of while competing outside their age group; there was a number of anomalies that the AAG will look into,” the association’s president said.
The atmosphere created by the athletes at the Eve Leary ground yesterday saw an appreciative crowd of over 1500 turn out to witness the battle between RYM and PYC in the 2007 instalment of the national inter – club relay meet.
