Melbourne's captain Robert Samuels hooks for runs during their Surrey Senior Cup match against Portland at Melbourne Oval on Saturday. - Junior DowieKINGSTON won the Rothmans Surrey Senior Cup cricket title for the first time in 17 years when they played to a no-result with St. Thomas in their rain-affected 11th and final round match which ended at Goodyear Oval yesterday.
Having picked up one vital point from the match, Kingston finished with 36 points, only one ahead of defending champions Melbourne and four ahead of early pacesetters Lucas on 32 points.
After a very late start at 2:30 p.m. due to the inclement weather, St. Thomas were sent in to bat and made 75, with Raul McFarlane topscoring with 22 and Dervin Francis 13, against pacemen Sadiq Phillips, six for 27 and Dwight Mais, two for 17.
Kingston in reply reached 53 for two. Nicholas Austin was unbeaten on 25, as James Edwards claimed two for 14.
Reacting to their championship success, Kingston's captain, Kerry Scott, said:
"It is a good feeling, winning the title for the first time in 17 years. It brings joy to Kingston Club to have taken the trophy after so many years.
"We were pretty confident against St. Thomas due to the balance in our team and the fact that St. Thomas have not been doing well," added Scott.
Scott also told The Gleaner that the team is now moving on to the Champion of Champions competition where they hope they will be a double winner.
Meanwhile, Melbourne gained first innings points from Portland in another low-scoring first innings encounter at Melbourne Oval, while Lucas dropped first innings points to lowly-placed Boys' Town after declaring at 130 for five yesterday in a desperate bid to salvage something from the match.
Play in all three matches was washed out on Saturday's first day.
In other matches, St. Catherine collected first innings points from Jamaica Defence Force, who were skittled out for a mere 46, while the Tivoli-Police encounter ended in a no-result.
Both Kingston and Melbourne will contest the semi-finals of the Rothmans National Club Championship this weekend, the competition also involving the winners of the Rothmans Middlesex Cup (St. Catherine Parish) and Cornwall Cup (Westmoreland).
In addition, the two Corporate Area teams will represent the Corporate Area in the National County Championships scheduled to begin in August.
AT MELBOURNE OVAL: Scores - Melbourne 156 (Colin Fletcher 70 not out, Conroy Miller 17, Andre McCarthy 12; pacer Robert Hamilton four for 56, Harlon Haye three for 39, Darren Gray two for 22) and 29 for one. Portland 139 (Gray 31, Floyd Johnson 26, Haye 19 not out, Cecil Lewis 17; offspinner Ramon Hutchinson five for 28 off 18 overs including six maidens to finish this his first Senior Cup season with 32 wickets, fellow spinner Dwayne Cooper four for 36 and pacer Conroy Miler one for 22).
Resuming at 65 for six, Melbourne lost overnight batsman Ramon Hutchinson caught at mid-on off Haye's bowling for nought to make it 77 for seven, but Fletcher found a useful partner in 13-year-old Jamaica under-15 representative Andre McCarthy and together they posted 49 runs in a good eighth-wicket partnership before the youngster was trapped leg before for 12.
Veteran player Fletcher batted confidently to be unbeaten on 70, his innings lasting 145 minutes and including nine fours and a six.
When Portland replied, they slumped to 109 for eight before a fighting ninth-wicket partership between Haye and Bwainnan Stona (nine) threatened to turn it around. However, Hutchinson trapped Stona leg before and Portland fell 17 runs short.
