Wolmer’s, St Jago battle for Grace Shield
Though Wolmer’s Boys enter the urban area Grace Shield schoolboy cricket final against St Jago High as heavy favourites, Head Coach Jerraine Williams is urging against complacency on the eve of the three-day encounter which is set to start Wednesday at Melbourne Cricket Club in St Andrew.
The Heroes’ Circle-based Wolmer’s, who finished second to Excelsior High last year, have been in fine form this season. They knocked Excelsior off their perch at the semi-final stage earlier this month, rampaging to an innings and 12-run win at Kensington Oval thanks to Jordan Johnson’s dominant 152.
St Jago lost to Wolmer’s at the preliminary stage earlier this season, but the Monk Street, Spanish Town-based school has been outstanding otherwise. They registered an innings and 17-run win over St George’s College at Nelson Oval to secure their spot in the final.
“We’ve been doing well this season, getting runs and getting wickets consistently, but we have one final hurdle so we have to put our hands up,” the Wolmer’s coach told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.

“St Jago must have been doing some things right to get to this stage, so we won’t be taking anyone lightly. But we are ready and we are confident and we just have one final lap to complete to be crowned champions. Beating them [St Jago High] earlier this season gives us confidence but that’s behind us, and it’s the final now,” Williams explained.
St Jago High Head Coach Joseph Lemmie, while noting that some of his players have come down with a bout of flu, expressed confidence that his team can prevail.
“Collectively, we have not been training for the past week but, based on the talent pool and based on the cricket we have been playing this season, I expect us to go out there and get the job done.
“As long as we go out and execute on the day I’m sure St Jago will be a force to be reckoned with. Our team comprises all-rounders, so as long as those players turn up no team can beat us,” he said.
The St Jago coach insisted that his team has come a far way since the loss to Wolmer’s.
“We made a lot of mistakes in that match… we looked at what happened in that game and we went back to the drawing board, so some of the mistakes we made I can guarantee we won’t make them again,” Lemmie told the Observer.