- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
St. Mary's batsman Maurice Clarke, Jnr. plays a cut shot during his top score of 82 against St. Catherine on yesterday's opening day of their Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Senior League final at Sabina Park yesterday. Wicketkeeper Junior Stewart looks on.
Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
THE JAMAICA Cricket Association (JCA) Senior League final between St. Mary and St. Catherine enters today's final day with the latter faced with a challenging task.
On yesterday's opening day which was interrupted by rain for about 30 minutes, St. Mary were bowled out for 239 in the final over of the day's play.
Sent to bat, the men from St. Mary were in early trouble after losing the wicket of Roland Mitchell in the sixth over, caught behind by Junior Stewart off pacer Robert Cato who was still to concede a run at this stage.
However, despite a small 38-run second wicket stand between Edward Llewellyn and Tyson Gordon, 24 each, not much changed for St. Mary.
After losing both batsmen, along with Dervin Morand, 11, and Andre Creary, zero, they slipped to 92 for five.
Luckily for them, Maurice Clarke Jnr., who had played two First Class matches for the University Vice Chancellors XI against Australia and New Zealand, guided and protected Ian McLeod who contributed only four in a valuable 61-run sixth wicket partnership that took their team past 150.
Although he looked good during his innings, which lasted almost three hours, Clarke, the son of Jamaica's cricket team manager Maurice Clarke Snr., must have regretted the way he was dismissed and not going on to the magical three-figure score.
In the extra cover where he scored most of his runs, Clarke fell in the same area to a trap set for him by St. Catherine's captain Colin Buchanan, where Lloyd Rattray took a juggling catch off Cato. In his patient knock of 82, Clarke, who represented Lucas in the Super League last season, belted nine fours and one six off 138 balls.
TRAPPED LBW
McLeod, nine, who along with Hensley Wilshaw took St. Mary to tea at 158 for six, did not last long after the resumption, going leg before to off-spinner Kevin Kelly (2-31).
At this stage, St. Catherine must have felt they would get a chance to bat before the close but Wilshaw and Claudius Thompson had other ideas.
They struck up a fruitful partnership which yielded 59 runs in just over an hour before Wilshaw, who made 40 (5x4) lost his wicket. His dismissal became the gateway for a lower order skid as Thompson (30) and Rudolph Samuda (one) fell soon after in the final over bowled by Lascelles Davis, who ended with four for 69 off 20.3 overs.
