Antigua's Princess Margaret set for Trinbago Schools' Relay Festival

Around 30 schools will be vying for top honours when the Trinbago Schools’ Relay Festival runs off at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo from 10.30 am on July 3.

Bishop Anstey High School Port of Spain and Queen’s Royal College, the winners of the respective girls’ and boys’ overall titles from last year, will be returning to defend their crowns. There will also be representation from two Caribbean schools, with Antigua and Barbuda’s Princess Margaret School set to compete along with the St Vincent Grammar School.

There will be varying relay events for the student-athletes to test their mettle on the day, with fans set to be treated to action in the 4x100-metre, 4x200m, 4x400m and 4x800m, to go along with relay medleys. The age groups which will be contested are under-15, under-17 and 17+.

At last month’s Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships, the students from Roxborough Secondary showed their class when they defended both their boys’ and girls’ overall titles. Bishop and QRC finished runner-up to the Roxborough teams in the respective girls’ and boys’ categories.

This year, though, Secondary Schools Track and Field (SSTF) president Joseph Brewster said there will no be participation from Tobago schools for the 2025 edition. This confirmation came just after 2 pm on July 2. Roxborough had been scheduled to take part, along with Mason Hall Secondary, Pentecostal Light and Life Foundation and Speyside High School.

“It’s really unfortunate the schools from Tobago aren’t participating. The situation is really out of our control,” Brewster told Newsday.

“Roxborough being the national champions for two straight years, it would have been nice to see them going for the Trinbago Relay Festival as well.”

Some of the schools expected to feature are: Barataria South; Barrackpore West; Diego Martin North; East Mucurapo; El Dorado East; Fatima College; Presentation College San Fernando; Rio Claro East; San Juan North; St Anthony’s College and Tableland Secondary.

At the 2024 relay festival, Bishop amassed 136 points to clinch top spot ahead of Roxborough and St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Barrouallie Secondary to win the girls’ category, with QRC racking up 168 points on their surge to the title last year ahead of Roxborough and El Dorado East Secondary in the boys’ category.