DESPITE DROPPING first innings points to Lucas, Kingston maintained their lead in the Rothmans Surrey Senior Cup cricket competition as the 10th and penultimate round ended yesterday.
In the feature match at Nelson Oval, Lucas clipped Kingston on first innings points, but closest rivals Melbourne only managed to secure a point against Kensington in their supporting feature at Melbourne Oval following a no result.
The standings going into the final round are as follows: Kingston on top with 35 points from nine matches, Melbourne 32 also from nine matches, Lucas 31 from nine matches, Kensington 30 but from 10 matches, having completed their fixture, and Jamaica Defence Force 28 from nine matches.
Significantly, next weekend's final round is the rescheduled fourth round which should have been played on March 3 and 4, but was postponed owing to the final of the Busta International Shield between Jamaica and Guyana at Sabina Park.
The three teams still in with a chance are Kingston, Melbourne and Lucas.
The newly crowned champions and the runners-up will advance to the all-island Senior Cup championship later this month with the Surrey champions playing away to the Cornwall champions and Middlesex champions hosting the Surrey runners-up (Surrey 2). The winners will meet in the grand final next month.
AT NELSON OVAL: Kingston 200 (Matthew Sinclair 85; Aushuman Kentish 3-24, Wayne Gayle 3-27, Delroy Morgan 3-36) and 234 for three declared (Shane Brooks 88, Lloyd Black 60, Matthew Sinclair 52 not out; Kentish 2-57). Lucas 216 (Kevin Riley 62, Wayne Gayle 46, Oneil Powell 34, Gary Herbine 14; Ryan Cunningham 5-59 in 23.3 overs, Dwight Mais 2-64).
Resuming at 116 for three yesterday, Lucas lost Oneil Powell (17 overnight) leg before for 34 (six fours) at 140 for four and Omar Burke two runs later, run out for six.
With Andre Coley (zero) and Delroy Morgan (seven) also going cheaply to Cunningham and Mais respectively, Lucas looked shakily placed 163 for seven before teenagers Wayne Gayle (47) and Gary Herbine (14) took the score level with Kingston on 200, when Herbine was caught by Audley Sanson off Cunningham.
Gayle and Paul Beckett then gave Lucas the lead, with Gayle eventually being last man out when he was brilliantly caught off Cunningham's bowling by Lloyd Black in the slips.
Kingston, batting a second time, provided a pleasing display, but this was definitely a first innings affair.
AT MELBOURNE OVAL: Kensington and Melbourne played to a no result.
Scores: Kensington 197 all out; Melbourne 105 for five.
Kensington, resuming at 108 for three with Maurice Kepple seven and David Bernard Jr. yet to score, suffered a middle-order collapse. Kensington lost five wickets in the space of five runs. Kepple, after adding another 21 runs to his overnight score, was caught behind off Nikita Miller for 29. The other overnight batsman, Bernard Jr., also followed quickly for 21 to leave Kensington at 159 for eight.
Waterford schoolboy Junior Stewart, 20, added a further 39 runs with the tail to push the score close to the 200 mark.
When Melbourne replied, they were in early trouble as opener Aubrey Wollaston ran himself out for 14 and Dillon Ebanks was trapped leg before by Bernard Jr. for nine at 29 for two.
Donovan Pagon was the next batsman to go, caught by Bernard Jr. off the bowling of Errol Wilson for 17. Wavell Hinds, fresh from the West Indies team, got the wicket of Meggs for 19, while captain Robert Samuels contributed 33.
AT TIVOLI: A match haul of 7-34 by Mark Gray led Jamaica Defence Force to a crushing nine-wicket win over Tivoli early in the morning.
Scores: Tivoli 64 all out (Omar Hamilton 26, Alton Beswick 13; Mark Gray 4-19, Howard Copeland 3-15) and 68 (Jermaine Lee 19; Gray 3-15, Anthony Folkes 4-16); JDF 121 for seven declared (Mel Wint 65; Shaniel Francis 2-28) and 13 for one.
