Hats off to Manchester, St Ann

Tony Becca, Gleaner Writer

A few Saturdays ago, Manchester successfully defended the Super League title when they ended the competition one point ahead of Melbourne and St Catherine, and on August 28, St Ann won the limited-overs title when they defeated Melbourne in the final, and hats off to both teams.

For nearly 100 years that would have been impossible. Between 1897 and 1990 the champions would have been one of Kingston, Lucas, Kensington, St Catherine, Melbourne, etcetera, etcetera.

In those days, but for the short participation of a team like All-Bauxite somewhere in the 1970s, only the club teams from the Corporate Area, along with the Police and the Jamaica Defence Force, were privileged to contest the title and, obviously, only one of their numbers could win it.

In 1990, however, after years of pleading, came the all-island limited-overs competition, the following year came the all-island league, and finally, the clubs and the parishes were competing against each other.

Talented players

No longer did the talented players from a rural parish have to travel to the city every weekend to represent a club - to parade his skills.

Melbourne started strongly in both competitions, and with 16 appearances in the final and 12 victories, including seven in a row, have really dominated the limited-overs contest.

From day one, however, from that memorable day at Chedwin Park when Clarendon battled Melbourne to the wire before losing the first league title by one run, the teams from rural Jamaica have more than held their own, so much so that of the eight teams which participated in the Super League this year only three - Melbourne, Kingston, and St Catherine - were from the Corporate Area, and of the four teams out of 21 which got to the semi-final of the limited-overs competition only one, Melbourne, was from the Corporate Area.

Clarendon are no longer the rural team to fear. Right now, the big guns from rural Jamaica are Manchester and St Ann.

What is significant, however, and even though the general standard of cricket in Jamaica is far from what it should be, is that the rural teams have been getting stronger and stronger each year, and the city teams, which are getting weaker and weaker, can no longer take them for granted. In fact, recent results suggest that only St Catherine and Melbourne can match the best of them.

I can see, in mind's eye, one like Bobby Marsh of St Ann leaning back in his chair since last Sunday morning and smiling. He was one of the men who stood up and said to the Jamaica Cricket Association at a meeting of the rural representatives at Content Gardens in 1990: "Give us a chance. We are as good as the guys from Kingston. In fact, I know we can beat them."

Twenty years on there is no question that the rural players are at least just as good, and without even looking at the increased number of rural players representing Jamaica, there are so many rural players representing Jamaica at the age-group levels, it appears that this season's success, champions of both the league and the limited-overs competitions for the first time, is only the beginning of things to come.

Few Saturdays ago, trailing by one point and needing at least three to win the title, Manchester went to Kingston, they went to Melbourne Oval, and they took on the home team, the most successful team in Jamaica's cricket, the team with three West Indies players, one Jamaica player, and one West Indies Youth player in their line-up, and after they lost the toss and were sent to bat, they led on first innings to get the three points necessary.

More than that: Manchester also embarrassed Melbourne by enforcing the follow-on.

Two Saturdays, St Ann went to town, to Sabina Park, to the headquarters of cricket in Jamaica, they took on Melbourne, the best limited-overs team in Jamaica and the team with batsmen Marlon Samuels, Donovan Pagon, Carlton Baugh Jr, John Ross Campbell, and Andre McCarty, and after winning the toss, they sent them to bat and proceeded to teach them a lesson.

St Ann outplayed Melbourne with the ball, in the field, and finally with the bat.

After limiting Melbourne to 268 for six, St Ann paced themselves well before exploding to win with overs to spare.

Marlon Johnson started confidently with two boundaries off the first two deliveries, and after joining the action at 32 for one in the ninth over, Xavier Marshall blasted 83 off 77 deliveries before leaving the scene at 163 for four after 29.4 overs

Obsessed

At 70 for two off 20 overs and at 132 for three off 30, it seemed all over for the men from the Garden parish. At that time, it appeared that Melbourne would put St Ann in their place and make it four titles in a row.

First, however, came Marshall, and then, towards the end, came Marlon Pinnock - the man whose bat was like a whip.

Batting like a man obsessed, Pinnock lashed 48 not out off 24 deliveries as St Ann scored their last 66 runs in just 5.3 overs to finish in a blaze of glory.

For those who love to see the ball racing to the boundary or sailing over it, even against bowling which was not exceptional and fielding which was far from outstanding, it was a wonderful display.

Damion Jacobs, with one six and nine fours in 71 off 81 deliveries, was good, and Baugh, with two sixes and seven fours in 93 not out from 82 deliveries, was better.

The best, however, was Marshall. His three fours and eight sixes were awesome, some landing way beyond the boundary.