STETHS' Brenton Parchment drives through the offside in his innings of 43 during yesterday's Cup action at Alpart. - Junior DowieBy Richard Bryan,
Freelance Writer
MANCHESTER:
AN 18th hold on the Headley Cup appears inevitable for defending champions St. Elizabeth Technical after they enjoyed a second straight day of dominance over Holmwood at Alpart yesterday.
Holmwood, batting a second time, accepted the bad light call at its second offering by umpires Lenvas Cole and Leroy Neish to be in a spot of bother at 23-3 and still needing 60 runs to force STETHS to bat again.
It's an uphill task for the Robert Lewis-coached team as it conceded a crucial 83-run first innings lead and will have to press on when Denroy Morgan and Gary Graham (both yet to score) resume this morning.
Following heavy showers which washed out the previous afternoon's session, lovely sunshine and good drainage at Alpart afforded a prompt start at 10:30 but immediately Holmwood were under the gun. Romesh Brown was trapped lbw off the last ball of the day's first over for Holmwood to be all out for 107. The wicket gave Miller, the previous day's destroyer, the impressive figures of 6-36 off 17 overs.
STETHS openers Shawn Findlay and Odayne Ewart posted 50 from 23 overs before Ewart was trapped lbw for 15 to become the first of spinner Arden Frue's five victims.
Findlay (34), who struck Odane Brown on the top of the grandstand for a six, tried to repeat the shot against Frue from the other end and was bowled at 75-2. West Indies Under-15 player Howard Powell lasted a mere six balls before he was snapped up at bat pad for Brown's first wicket at 83.
Captain Brenton Parchment then came and played a number of handsome shots on both sides of the wicket to be 33 not out as STETHS went into lunch at 92-3 - still needing another 13 runs to claim crucial first innings honours. Upon resumption, Parchment was dropped by wicketkeeper Graham off Frue but it was the dismissal of Ryan Goffe, brilliantly caught near the wicket by Howard Jemeison with the score on 103, which triggered a mini-collapse in which four wickets fell for 12 runs in five over.
Of that lot, Parchment went lbw to Frue for a top score of 43 to a ball which kept low while form player Nikita Miller was run out for one. A couple of risky runs and poor backing up cost Holmwood at least three run outs and they were to pay dearly as the STETHS lower order rattled up 74 runs in just 22 overs.
Jerome Taylor blasted 23 off 28 balls including a six over midwicket off Frue, Sheldon Bentley 22 off 32 balls and Wayne Simpson 27 not out as STETHS rallied from 115-7 to 190 all out.
Parchment then became an unlikely hero bowling pace from the media centre end. He snapped up the wickets of Lancelot Warren (six) and captain Chacon Chambers (five). Miller accounted for Jemeison (11).
