SANTA Cruz, St Elizabeth — Clive Ledgister, coach of many-time schoolboy cricket champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), was all smiles when asked about the challenge up ahead against Manchester High in next week’s final of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Grace Headley Cup in Mandeville.

“We are really looking forward,” said Ledgister as the drawn semi-final between STETHS and Garvey Maceo High came to a close at the STETHS Sports Complex in Santa Cruz on Thursday.

“The last time we lost the Headley Cup (2019) was to Manchester High at our home (STETHS). Now we are playing against Manchester at their home ground, so we are hoping to turn the tide this time around. Manchester High is our biggest rival over the past decade, so we are always looking forward to good cricket against them… without good competition you won’t improve,” he said.

Burtram “Barry” Barnes, coach of Manchester High, was similarly enthused as he spoke to the Observer by telephone after Manchester High completed an innings and four-run triumph over Tacky High in their semi-final at Content Gardens in Ocho Rios.

Barnes said his players would be particularly motivated after falling to a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat to STETHS in the preliminary round.

“In the earlier game STETHS were the better team and they proved that, but my players are looking forward to this game. I think we will give STETHS a very hard fight,” said Barnes, who like Ledgister, bowled pace for STETHS back in their days at high school.

The ISSA/Grace Headley Cup final scheduled for April 20-22 at Manchester High.

In the semi-final games both STETHS and Manchester High were put under pressure while batting, before asserting themselves and taking control. All available evidence suggests that STETHS would have defeated Garvey Maceo High had they not opted for second innings batting practice rather than pressing for victory.

Scores: Tacky High 117 (Jordan Pinnock 21; Jaheem Bartley 6-20) and 116 (Pinnock 30; Denzil Lee 4-8, Sanjay Walker 3-42, Bartley 2-42); Manchester High 237 (Brian Barnes 120, Bartley 32; Aan Ennis 6-38).

Scores : STETHS 288 (Kevon Graham 68, Demar Freeburn 37; Orlando Lawrence 4-72) and 178-5 declared (Sean Roye 59, Marlon Powell 32); Garvey Maceo High 73 (Govasta Edwards 4-21) and 45-2.

At Content Gardens, Manchester High’s Jamaica age-group left-arm orthodox spinner Jaheem Bartley, who is in his final year of school cricket, undermined the Tacky High first innings with his six-wicket haul. But Manchester High’s batters then struggled as the Tacky High pacer Aan Ennis also grabbed six wickets with penetrative fast bowling.

Manchester High were on the ropes at 67-6, when Brian Barnes — the 16-year-old son of the team coach and younger brother to Jamaica Scorpions squad member Brad Barnes — mixed solid defence with thrilling counter-attack to notch a 105-ball 120. The left-handed Barnes slammed seven sixes and nine fours and found a solid partner in the experienced Bartley, who made 32, to give Manchester High a 120-run lead.

Manchester High had a clear run to the line after that, with seamer Denzil Lee (4-8) and Sanjay Walker grabbing 3-42 with his leg breaks doing most damage. Bartley ended the second innings with 2-42 to complete an eight-wicket match haul.

At Santa Cruz, home team STETHS, after choosing to bat first, were reduced to 98-5 and 134-7 before a strong lower-order rally, led by a last-wicket stand of 90 between Kevon Graham (68) and Demar Freeburn (37) carried them to 288 all out. Opener Sean Roye had earlier made 46. For Garvey Maceo off-spinner Orlando Lawrence took 4-72. Intriguingly, pace-bowling allrounder Sherwayne Thomas — younger brother of West Indies white-ball speed merchant, Oshane Thomas — bowled with high pace to grab 2-33.

In their reply, the youthful Garvey Maceo team was skittled for 73. They had no answer to the testing pace and control of the impressive Govasta Edmond who broke the back of the batting with 4-21. Extras came out as the top scorer with 24, including 17 byes, while Lawrence made 18.

Batting a second time, Roye topscored with a 75-ball 59 as STETHS made 178-5 declared. Garvey Maceo then reached 45-2 in the post-tea session when the game was called off.

Explaining the decision to bat a second time rather than impose the follow-on, Ledgister said: “When you look at the entire season, we would win the toss and bowl first and no team made more than 70 runs against us, so most of our batters didn’t get a chance to bat for the whole season up to now. That’s why we decided to get some batting practice before the final”.

Losing coaches, Sheldon Pryce of Tacky High and Ishmael Wright of Garvey Maceo, identified youth and inexperience as pivotal reasons for their teams’ demise even while voicing confidence that the experience will prove beneficial in the long run.

“At least they get a chance to feel two-day, two-innings cricket, I think it was good for them,” said Wright. “The average age of my team is 15. I am going to be seeing some of them for four, five more years, so that must be good for my programme, “ said Wright.

Pryce praised Manchester High for coming “with a plan to play smart cricket and it worked…”

He claimed Tacky High batters didn’t apply themselves as they should have. But, said he, “these players are young and they are not used to two-innings cricket, they can only get better”.