TRINIDAD AND Tobago finally tasted victory yesterday at the Pan Am Junior (U-17) Water Polo Championships in Kingston Jamaica, the TT Boys team beating the hosts to finish the preliminary competition as the better of the two Caribbean squads. However, the joy in the TT camp was shortlived, as the TT Girls lost a very close game to Puerto Rico a defeat that consigned them to sixth and last among the female teams in the Pan American region.
The win over Jamaica broke a sequence of defeats for both teams stretching back seven days to the start of the tournament. With both teams having finished bottom of their respective five-team groups, yesterday’s meeting decided 9th and 10th places in the Boys division.
TT shot into a 6-2 lead at the end of the opening quarter, and they maintained the five-goal difference (9-5) at the half; three unanswered goals in the third extended the lead to 12-5, and though the Jamaicans edged them 4-3 in the final stanza, the TT boys came away comfortable 15-9 winners.
The TT Girls were next into the pool at Jamaica’s National Aquatic Centre yesterday, battling with the Puerto Ricans for fifth place among the six female teams that are contesting the championships.
In terms of goals scored, the match was a much tighter contest than their final round league clash on Monday, when Puerto Rico rallied down the stretch to win 17- 14. After the first quarter, Puerto Rico were just ahead, 3-2, and as TT matched them for goals in the second, they led 6-5 at the half.
In the third, the TT girls scored three times to their opponents’ two, thus drawing level 8-8; however, they were unable to sustain the effort and Puerto Rico pulled away in the final quarter (3-1) for an 11-9 victory and 5th place.
The championships conclude today with more playoffs for Pan Am rankings in both divisions, culminating in the male and female bronze medal matches and the two finals that will bring the curtain down on the competition.