Grace Headley Cup Champion St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) are still celebrating their tenth hold on the Spaulding Cup following their first innings win over coop area Grace Shield Champion Eltham High at STETHS on the weekend. STETHS first won the Spaulding Cup in 1983 when they dominated the competition during which time former coach Junior Bennett and Manager Donovan Bennett.
During the last four years the cup was in the hands of Holmwood Technical who won it four years consecutive. The match which was played over three days lack the high standard which is usually anticipated at the finale at the school boy supremacy to decide the top school. STETHS were 119 all out and 62 for two while Eltham 82 all out and 199 for eight declared.
On the first day the Spanish Town based team won the toss and choose to bat were skittled out for paltry 82 on a good pitch, which favours the bowlers. Jason Dawes and Richard Simpson were the pick of the bowlers taking three wickets apiece while Linton Buchanan grab two and Christopher Dyer got one wicket on the first rain affected day.
Buchanan got the scalp of National Youth Player Romeo Dunka who top scored with twenty, while Dyer got the wicket of Sandre Watson 15, the second highest score. In reply the visitors had a great start when Dunka got the wicket of Nick Blackwood and former National Youth Player Nickoy Samuels without scoring in the first over to end the day on 10 for 2.
On the second day the home team also performed poorly and could only manage a meager 199 to get the first innings points. Dunka finished the innings with 5 for 14 off 11.5 overs with three maidens while Fredrick Hermitt picked up three for 39 and Sandre Watson grab 2 for 35. Coach of STETHS team, Clive Ledgister was quite please with winning the cup for the first time as coach.
"It’s a pretty and great feeling winning the Spaulding cup even though we didn't perform as well as we should have," he said. I am still quite happy for the victory, it was team effort." In the mean time Oral Simpson coach of the losing Eltham team said they lost the match on the first day.
Overall we really lost the game on the first day we batted. I think making 82 runs and giving a team two and a half days to make the runs, that was poor batting. However we came back and bowled well because STETHS with no runs for two and 19 for 4 at one stage, I think we had a chance and we played well. And home advantage played a factor in the end."
