ST. ELIZABETH Technical (STETHS) were yesterday crowned all-island schoolboys cricket champions for the third consecutive year despite playing to a draw with Grace Shield champions St. Jago High at Melbourne Oval. STETHS took the title on first innings points.
Scores: St. Jago 149 all out (Damion Henry 63, David Lemmie 36; Wayne Simpson 6-33, Nikita Miller 2-23) and 225 (Ryan Campbell 47, Danza Hyatt 39, Lemmie 29, Oniel Morgan 26, Ralston Bell 25; Sheldon Bentley 3-47, Nikita Miller 2-40, Simpson 2-75); STETHS 238 (Parchment 96, Shawn Findley 51, Nikita Miller 20; Damion Williamson 3-26, Danza Hyatt 3-56, Andre Rowe 2-36, Ryan Campbell 2-46) and 41 without lost (Findley 24 and Odyane Ewart 12 were the not out batsmen.
St. Jago started the final day on 24 without loss, still needed another 65 runs to make STETHS bat again. David Lemmie (11) and Damion Henry (11) continued from their overnight score but Henry did not last long, going leg before to Wayne Simpson for 13.
Spinner Nikita Miller then picked up two quick wickets. First he had Lemmie caught for 29 by Findley at cover and then bowled incoming batsman Andre Rowe for a duck to leave St. Jago reeling at 50 for three.
St. Catherine's Senior Cup player Danza Hyatt (39) and Ryan Campbell (47) revived the innings in a stubborn fourth wicket partnership of 72, taking singles to all parts of the field.
The partnership ended when legspinner Sheldon Bentley bowled Hyatt at 122 for four. Campbell did not last long after, having been brilliantly run out by Nikita Miller, to leave St. Jago at 135 for five. The tailenders added another 90 runs before being bowled out.
St. Jago's coach Joe Spencer said they were hoping to "beat the ball today (yesterday) but the boys didn't get around to it. We had one and two lapses here and there..... The bowling was a bit defensive and we just couldn't get a chance to swing the bat," Spencer said.
Junior Bennett, coach of STETHS, said: "My team showed the necessary discipline and application in their approach and this made all the difference. "To come back and get eight wickets in the afternoon from a position of 105 without lost turned it in out favour".
Bennett singled out Wayne Simpson and Nikita Miller for bowling very well along with batsmen Brenton Parchment and Shawn Findley for playing key roles.
"But all and all it was a team effort", he said.
