‘KC HAVE ARRIVED’
Purples showcase excellent centenary with downtown street parade
IN 2023 when Kingston College (KC) won the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ Athletics Championships (Champs), Principal Dave Myrie said plans were afoot to make the year 2025 a special one as the school would be celebrating 100 years.
Two years on KC, which opened its doors on April 16, 1925, celebrated its centenary year in style by winning the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup football championship and were crowned best in the land by lifting the ISSA Olivier Shield — the pinnacle of schoolboy football in the island.
The famed “Purples” also won the Under-14 urban and all-island football titles; captured the Lacrosse crown; the Under-16 table tennis title, then the biggest of all, winning Champs two weeks ago.
Very rarely are the Manning Cup and Champs trophies at the same school in a school calendar year as KC won athletics in March 2024 and football in December and Champs in 2025.
The last time this happened was 48 years ago when Calabar High won the Champs and Manning Cup in 1977 and Champs again in 1978.
On Monday the school took to the streets in a sea of purple with a victory parade that took them to the heart of downtown Kingston, and picked up the Keys to the City as hundreds of well-wishers turned up for the occasion.
However, KC has created its own piece of history by becoming the only school to win Champs in the 25th (1950), 50th (1975) and 100th year (2025).
Calabar won in their 100th year in 2012 while Wolmer’s Boys’ won the 100th year of Champs, but not in their 100th year of existence.
A doting and beaming Principal Myrie of KC told the Jamaica Observer, after collecting the Keys to the City, “that it shows that KC have arrived”.
“The Keys to the City is saying you have done your time, you have made your contribution, you have a made a difference in society, you have made a difference in downtown, you have made a difference to Jamaica and the world — here is the Keys to the City,” Myrie said. “For that, I am extremely proud. And for any organisation to have done 100 years is a massive thing, and for KC to have done 100 years is crazy.
“The Champs and Manning Cup is just icing on the cake because whether we had won them or not, we would be doing our parade and celebrating because it’s about how long we have been here and what we have in the many years.
“I am just grateful to be the principal of the school at this time in history. And the next 100 years, I won’t be here for that but I am sure whoever is here will continue the legacy at KC, and I am very proud.”
KC fell short in the chase for another piece of glory in their centenary year, however, as for the ISSA T20 final they lost to Excelsior High by 74 runs on Monday.
Excelsior made 191-5 from their 20 overs then dismissed KC for 115 with 11 balls remaining.
Justin Adlam made 57 from 30 balls for Excelsior and Geovanni Grey hit 43 from 30 balls. Chadrick Wallace picked up 2-24 and Jhaylan Thomas got 2-49.
Kev Virgo top-scored with 71 from 36 balls for KC but Demarco Scott with 3-14 proved decisive for Excelsior.
