By Daraine Luton, Staff ReporterLEG-SPINNER Damion Allen returned good bowling figures of four for 49 from 21 overs yesterday, helping Boys' Town put Manchester up against the wall in the Jamaica Cricket Association Senior League final at Melbourne Oval.
Allen, who accounted for the wickets of top scorer Gary Graham (46), Lancelot Allen (39), Cory Phillips (0) and Hanif Martin (4), teamed up with Vere Technical schoolboy Kirk Thompson (2-23), Terry Staple and Phillip Keating (a wicket apiece) to bowl out Manchester for 163.
At the close yesterday in the two-day match which continues this morning, Boys' Town reached 140 for the loss of three wickets, 26 runs away from putting one hand on the trophy.
Manchester found themselves in immediate problems from the outset when they lost Ricardo Morrison with the score on three, bowled by Staple for a duck.
However, Graham found an excellent partner in Warren and together they took the score to 82 before the former went, driving loosely at Allen and was taken at slip by Courtney Oconnor.
From that point Manchester never recovered and only Stephen Patterson (33) made any other meaningful contribution as the Zone A champions crumbled.
When Boys' Town batted, Staple stroked 49 before he was trapped leg before to Damaine Sangster.
During his innings he played some handsome shots off the faster bowlers but when the spinners came on he was a bit unsettled and shortly before the end he attempted to on-drive Sangster and was hit in front.
The other run-getters were Marlon Keating (22) and Julian Cresser (34). Omar Campbell (18) and Herbert Haye (0) are the not out batsmen.
Sangster was the pick of the Manchester bowling, closing off with figures of two for 23 from 10 overs.
Play on today's second and final day gets underway at 10:30 a.m.
