Richard Bryan, Freelance Writer
Andel Hurlington of Eltham is clean bowled for 14 by Nive McNaley of Holmwood in their Spaulding Cup match at Kirkvine yesterday. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
KIRKVINE:
HOLMWOOD RETAINED their all-island schoolboy cricket crown yesterday with an emphatic innings and 41 run victory over Grace Shield champions Eltham in the Spaudling Cup final here.
The St. Catherine school had for three hours yesterday fought gallantly to stave off defeat in two days and had reached 67 for five well into the final hour before losing their last five wickets for just over 20 runs.
The final scores were: Eltham 113 and 88; Holmwood 342.
In the end, there were easy three-wicket hauls for Holmwood's Bruce Blackwood (3-15) and perhaps man of the match Damaine Sangster (3-13) while Nieve McNally waded in with two scalps.
DEFEAT ON THE HORIZON
The prospect of a heavy defeat for Eltham loomed once Holmwood were dismissed for 342 just after lunch and the Corporate Area side faced an imposing deficit of 229 runs.
Holmwood's victory means they have now won three straight Cup titles the previous two coming against Norman Manley and Spanish Town.
Eltham's celebrated batsman, Schacoya Thomas, who smashed 324 a week ago to achieve their championship, fell cheaply opening the batting in the second innings, scoring just 10 in an opening partnership of 25, before he was needlessly run out by Damaine Sangster.
Thomas who had entered the local record books with his unbeaten knock of 324 in a score of 552 for five declared in the Grace Shield final, had top-scored with 25 in his team's disappointing first innings of 113.
VALOROUS EFFORT
Eltham did fairly well to restrict a massive Holmwood first innings total yesterday after the rural champions resumed on 201 for three and opener Daniel Ricketts well set on 71 not out.
Ricketts added 13 more before he was lbw to Fredrick Hermit as Holmwood lost five wickets in the session before lunch. The toast of the morning was undoubtedly Sangster, who batting at number seven, conjured up the most attacking innings seen in the three schoolboy matches at this venue, smashing five fours and a six in making 69.
His knock was the third half-century score of the Holmwood innings and followed that of openers Marlon Johnson (80) and Ricketts.
Damion Wright, who had taken two of the three wickets to fall the previous afternoon, finished with 3-53 along with Sanjay Watson who got 3-57 as they were the main wicket takers for Eltham.
The game opened up discussions among spectators as to the gap in quality between the level of competition among Corporate Area schools and their rural counterparts.
This was exposed on the first day when Eltham were shot out for 113 in 54 overs while Holmwood had little trouble rattling up 201 for three. Some criticism has been levelled at the Kirkvine outfield as it has not been kind in terms of allowing easy boundaries from balls hit on the ground, but the wicket appeared placid, giving little support to the faster bowlers.
