By Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer 
Eltham's Jason Green plays forward during his innings of 47 against St. Catherine in their Grace-sponsored Colts final at Melbourne Oval yesterday. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
AN UNBROKEN 67-run second wicket partnership between Kanakki Gordon and Ricardo Robinson gave St. Catherine the upper hand against Eltham going into today's second and final day of their Grace-sponsored Colts Under-16 schoolboy cricket final at Melbourne Oval.
Replying to Eltham's 159 for nine off their allotted 95 overs, St. Catherine closed on 70 for one after 31 overs when stumps were drawn.
Batting first, Keshaw Shattock, 20, and Handel Earlington, 17, posted 42 for the first wicket before Eltham slipped to 63 for seven. However, Jason Green, 47, and Sieon Lewis, 34, rescued their team with an 87-run eighth-wicket stand. Kemar Dean took five for 43 and Rohan Franklyn three for 27.
St. Catherine lost Stephen Spence for two, but Gordon, 47, and Robinson, 18, will resume batting this morning.
"It was a very good day," St. Catherine's coach Stanford Hudson said of their opening day effort. "We have to get the job done come tomorrow. "We have worked hard all season, and we are not going to let this one slip away from us now."
Oral Simpson, Eltham's coach, said: "Keshaw Shattock and Shacoya Thomas, two centurions this season were the ones getting most of the runs, but today they failed to make big scores" Simpson said. "However, at 63 for seven, Jason Green and Sieon Lewis added a very important partnership which brought us back in the game and gave us something to bowl at," he added.
