WHILE MAY Day High School romped to victory in their GK Insurance Grace Headley Cup semifinal against Clarendon College at home yesterday, Manchester High School had to negotiate some nervy moments to get the better of former champions St Elizabeth High School (STETHS).
May Day, who were brilliant with the bat across both innings of the three-day affair, won before lunch on the final day by a mammoth 393 runs.
Resuming yesterday on 352-9, the eventual winners failed to add to the total, giving Clarendon College a day to attempt 484 for victory.
Clarendon would fall well short of that, with Nashane Meade, 6-23, wreaking havoc to help rout them for 90.
While the May Day game was a foregone conclusion from Wednesday’s second day, the same could not be said for Manchester, who had to be wary of the defending champions who, while losing the first two days, were still in with an outside shot of turning things around.
Batting first, STETHS had been blown away for 188, while Manchester, in response, built a healthy 62-run lead. STETHS, knowing they needed an outright win, were forced to try to get quick runs, ending day two on Wednesday, on 81 for four, a lead of just 19 runs.
The loss of wickets did not slow STETHS’ attempt to put up a respectable score and the now-dethroned champions raced to 221 all out, a lead of 160.
The ploy looked to be bearing fruit for STETHS as Deshaun James wrecked the Manchester top order, grabbing the first four wickets without conceding.
Manchester, teetering on none for one, then eight for two, eight for three, and eventually eight for four, recovered through the batting of Matthew Morgan and Pajay Nelson, who took the score from there to 140, when Nelson was dismissed for 58.
Morgan, who continued to play a peach of an innings, was then 61 not out when rain came to bring a close to an enthralling encounter with Manchester on 142 for five, needing just 18 runs with five second-innings wickets intact.
Morgan, on Wednesday, had scored 111 in Manchester’s first innings, and returned yesterday to take 3-67 in STETHS’s second innings, before his match-saving half-century.
The result meant Manchester are through to the final against May Day to be played at Manchester High School, April 10-12.