Foundation School beat nine-time winners Nicholls Baking Combermere by ten runs to clinch the Sir Everton Weekes Schools under-13 cricket title at Bank Hall yesterday.
The victory would mean even more to the boys from Church Hill after they were invited to bat first on the slow wicket. Eventually exacting revenge on their rivals Combermere, who earlier this year defeated them in the BCA under 15 finals.
Foundation laboured in reaching 90 being dismissed 3.5 overs short of their full allotment. Openers Jomario St Hill and Azari Best put together 25 for the first wicket before pacer Romario Roach ran through the top half to leave Foundation struggling on 38 for 5 in the 12th over.
A seventh wicket stand of 26 between Player of the match Nathan Sealy and Aaron Weekes proved critical to Foundation reaching a score that hardly looked competitive. Roach’s returns were four for 17 and he had good support from fellow seamer Jaden Leacock, who chipped in with three for 19.
Combermere then started their reply in brilliant sunshine but were immediately undone by fast bowlers Azari Best and Renicko Small. Best clean-bowled opener Nathan Forde for a duck with the second delivery of the innings, before Small soon found himself on a hat-trick.
He breached the defence of Nimar Bolden and rattled the stumps of all- rounder Roach before Che Simmons survived the hat-trick delivery.
From the precarious position of ten for three, Combermere then looked to Simmons and Jaden Small to consolidate the innings and possibly get them across the line. However, that was not to be as Foundation captain St Hill soon introduced diminutive leg-spinner Isiah Folkes to telling effect.
Bowling from the southern end, he snarled three quick wickets for 12 runs from his six overs, including the wicket of Simmons for 16. The assignment was then left to Small and the lower order one that became increasingly difficult with wickets falling rapidly as overs went by. The performances of Roach and Smith with the ball were superbly backed up by Sealy’s left-arm orthodox spin.
Combermere lost their ninth wicket in the 28th over with 74 runs on the board. Now requiring 16 off the final two overs, they could only muster six runs in the final over to hand Foundation their second Sir Everton Weekes title having won their first back in 2007. Small finished with a game high topscore of 30 not out off 55 balls.
It was the third attempt at staging this year’s final, the first attempt on May 15 had to be abandoned as neither Combermere nor Foundation showed up and last week rescheduled match was rained off without a ball being bowled.
The game was reduced to 30 overs a side after the umpires conducted a pitch inspection at 11:30 am and decided to start at 12 noon on the soft wicket, which was the result of inadequate covers. (LY)