EXCELSIOR High successfully defended their Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Allied Brokers Insurance Under-16 title after defeating Innswood High by virtue of first innings on day two at Melbourne Cricket Oval yesterday.

Excelsior piled up a mammoth 362 in their second innings for an overall lead of 494, and had Innswood at 54 for four when the game was called off.

Scores: (Excelsior 249 & 362; Innswood 117 & 54-4).

Resuming on 44 for two, Excelsior lost skipper Orande Pearson for 18, who added just nine to his overnight score. He went leg-before-wicket to Kevin Peterson with the score at

70 for three.

The diminutive Okachie Brown (44) added 39 to his overnight score, being involved in a fourth-wicket stand of 87 with Raewin Senior, before he was bowled by Jeavor Royal. Senior and Orlando Rowe took Excelsior to lunch at 176 for four.

Rowe’s stay in the middle was short-lived as Oshane Levy had him caught behind for 11 shortly after the break, to leave the score at 188 for five. Romario Brown came and went for a duck, when he was beaten in the air by a full delivery from Levy and was bowled with the score at 192 for six.

Senior and Raymond Hall then added 37, before Senior went for a topscore of 68, after he was trapped in front by Omario Wallace, with the score at 229 for seven. It was 254 for eight when Royal had Keanu Marr caught for seven, and by the time Hall (59) went caught and bowled Royal, it was 321 for nine. The innings was, however, wrapped up at 362 when Kevin Peterson bowled Keshawn Graham for 25. Qwayne Moore was left unbeaten on 30, as Royal topped the bowling with four for 110, for an overall match haul of nine for 173.

Innswood lost wickets in quick succession as Keshawn Graham bagged two for 35.

The Mountain View-based school will next face rural champions Manchester for all-island supremacy.