Spanish Town, Ardenne, Campion book semi-final berths in Grace Shield
Spanish Town High booked their spot in the semi-final round of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Grace Shield cricket competition after defeating Ardenne High by four wickets in Group D at Spanish Town Prison Oval on Friday.
Despite the loss, Ardenne advanced as group winners after both teams ended with 24 points.
Scores: Ardenne 118; Spanish Town 119-6.
Batting first, Ardenne could only muster 118 with Mickayle Riley top scoring with 22, supported by Malcolm Fisher who made 17. Gifton Mullings did most damage with the ball, grabbing 4-35.
In reply, Spanish Town, led by a 37-run knock from Christopher Schoolers, easily surpassed their target, despite the efforts of Easton Levy who took 4-48.
Champions Eltham High missed out on the chance to defend their crown, despite a 169-run win over Tivoli Gardens High.
Scores: Eltham 193-4 dec; Tivoli Gardens 24.
Ramone Francis produced an outstanding all-round performance in leading the Oral Simpson-coached team to victory. Francis first made 105 against Romario Burke who claimed 4-8. Francis returned to grab eight wickets for five runs to complete the massacre.
Jonathan Grant also ended their season in a winning fashion after a 29-run win over Pembroke Hall in the other Group D fixture.
Scores: Jonathan Grant 104; Pembroke Hall 75.
Warren Robinson continued his destructive bowling form by grabbing 7-40 to restrict Jonathan Grant. Kacheef Graham (33) top scored with the bat, before returning to take six for 20 to secure victory for Jonathan Grant.
Meanwhile, Campion College also secured a spot in the semi-final following a 164-run win over Tarrant High on Wednesday. Campion finished as Group A winners on 22 points, while the other semi-finalist from the group will be decided next week.
Scores: Campion College 207-9 dec; Tarrant 46.
Batting first, Campion College, led by Atishai Mansingh (59) and Abhijai Mansingh (37), posted a competitive total against Kemoy Lazarus (4-49). Abhijai Mansingh returned to grab 6-7 and Jeheil Smith (3-16) to restrict Tarrant.
Excelsior High defeated St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) by 24 runs in another Group A encounter.
Scores: Excelsior 93; STATHS 69.
Shemar Lindo (27) offered little resistance against Kemar Morris (4-19) and Arjay Wildman (4-22) as Excelsior were restricted to a paltry total.
However, the target turned out to be too much for STATHS. Joel Graham (47) accounted for most of the runs, while Romario Brown did the damage with the ball grabbing 6-35.
Over in Group C, Jamaica College defeated Meadowbrook High by 87 runs.
Scores: Jamaica College 194-5 dec; Meadowbrook 107
Led by a knock of 83 from Jason Tapper and 56 from Josher Grey, the Old Hope Road-based boys piled up a challenging total before Courtney Dowdie picked up four wickets to restrict their opponents.