WOLMER’S Boys’ School captured the 2018 Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Urban High School Boys’ Under-16 cricket title by virtue of gaining first-innings points over Calabar High in their drawn two-day final that ended at the Melbourne Oval last Friday.

The win was the seventh overall for the National Heroes’ Circle-based Wolmer’s Boys’, whose last success was in 2012. Wolmer’s will face the Rural Under-16 champions for a shot at the all-island title.

Scores: Wolmer’s Boys’ 253 all out off 85 overs and 149 for three wickets; Calabar 103 all out.

Play was called off at 4:25 pm with Wolmer’s having a 299-run lead at 149 for three with an hour and a half playing time remaining.

Wolmer’s were piloted through an unbeaten knock of 102 by opener Daniel Beckford, his third century in the competition and his fourth overall this season. He had scored 123 not out against Jamaica College in the Under-19 competition at JC.

Another player who featured in Wolmer’s triumph was Captain Matthew Comerie who made a top score of 81 in his team’s first innings, before destroying Calabar first-innings batting with his spin bowling by capturing five wickets for 21 runs off 20 overs.

Winning coach Gibbs Williams said he was very happy for the win as it was very special for all concerned.

“The score the players made on the first day was very good to gain first innings, and they applied themselves well by restricting Calabar to a very low score,” Williams said.

He said the players pushed Calabar on their back foot after breaking their opening partnership and capitalised very well.

“This big lead allowed the players to bat well in the second innings and also tried to play Calabar out of the match for the rest of the day’s play.

“I expected Beckford, who is a national Under-16 payer, to score the bulk of the runs as he is the team’s number one batsman, and his second innings unbeaten century also paved the way for the team’s victory.

“These players have been playing together in the Under-14 competition for two years as champions, and now they are playing in the Under-16 competition and they are also a talented crop of players,” he added.

According to Williams, at least nine players in the team are national Under-15 and Under-16 Jamaica representatives.

Meanwhile, losing coach of Calabar, Sean Newell, said the team got a very good start from the two openers of over 50 runs, but wickets tumbled regularly as they failed to cope with the spinners.

“Most of the players cannot play a quality leg spinner and that caused our batsmen to out cheaply. It was also our first defeat of the season,” said Newell.

He said Wolmer’s has nine national players in their line-up and is a very strong team.

Calabar, resuming on 30 without loss, crumbled quickly to the spinners as they added only 73 runs for the loss of 10 wickets on Friday. Jordan Johnson took two for one run off four overs.

Batting a second time, Wolmer’s openers Beckford and Jordan Douglas gave their team a brilliant start of 98 runs before the first wickets fell. Douglas was bowled for 29.

The left-handed 16-year-old belted the bowling as they went for tea at 101 for one wicket and a lead of 257. Beckford went on to score his century before play was called off with Wolmer’s leading by 299 runs with seven wickets remaining.

Beckford’s unbeaten century of 102 contained 12 fours, one six and a five, while spinners Delano Collins took three wickets for 52 runs off 12.5 overs.

Meanwhile, in Wolmer’s first innings in which they were bowled out for 253, skipper Comerie made 81, Shermar Phillips 34, Rajiv Redhi 27, Jordan 22, Cory Hinds 18, Beckford 16, and Justin Beckford 16.

The wicket-takers for Calabar were Delano Collins with two for 41 off 14 overs, Antonio Green with two for 55 off 20 overs, and Dane Hyatt with two for 69 off 31 overs.