Richard Bryan, Freelance Writer

NEW CHAMPIONS will be crowned for the first time in three years in the ISSA/Grace Headley Cup competition after Godfrey Stewart pulled off a huge upset by taking first innings honours over champions Holmwood in a drawn semi-final at STETHS yesterday.

However, Godfrey Stewart will have to wait until next week to find out who their final opponents will be after the other semi at Kirkvine between STETHS and Garvey Maceo was abandoned due to a water-damaged pitch.

That match will be played again next Tuesday and Wednesday at Alpart.

An utterly disappointed Robert Lewis, coach of the Holmwood team, gave up the ghost at 5:40 p.m. yesterday, saying to The Gleaner: "it caah mek, we don't have the time".

His team had just embarked on the unlikely task of scoring 107 after Godfrey Stewart held them up for much of the afternoon while scoring 87. It was a cruel end for Holmwood who were bundled out for 59, 20 runs less than what Godfrey Stewart mustered when Godfrey Stewart chose to bat on the first afternoon.

Spinners Ryan Moxam snared five wickets and left-armer Jomo Thompson three in Holmwood's poor first innings.

In fact, the 59 scored by Holmwood was their lowest under Lewis's watch as coach since 1989 and was scored at a snail's pace - taking up 42 overs.

"We came today needing to score 73 more. The wicket was not doing anything extraordinary; it was a total lack of commitment," Lewis said of his side's batting.

Norman Jackson, coach of Godfrey Stewart, was a happy man.

"I feel good for the boys. I knew that once they were able to keep their heads they would pull it off. I am not surprised as you can recall we had them down at 50-odd for five in an earlier round. We had made 141 and only rain saved them," Jackson said.