St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) held the upper hand at the end of a shortened first day in the final of the Spalding Cup against Excelsior High in Santa Cruz yesterday.

When rain halted proceedings on the stroke of tea, the hosts were 64-1 in reply to the visitors’ paltry score of 121 all out.

STETHS won the toss and invited Excelsior to take first strike, and the visitors were in early trouble at 12 for two. They lost wickets steadily and at one stage were 51 for 5. A gutsy eighth-wicket partnership of 40 between Kishawn Graham and Ohkachie Brown gave the score some respectability, with Graham, batting at number nine, eventually top-scoring for the Kingston-based school.

Rahvin Harvey was the chief wicket taker for STETHS with 3 for 23 from nine overs, while Michael Frew and Shahid Crooks took two wickets apiece.

In STETHS’s reply, Ockeeno Farquharson was the batsman out for 19, as Jordane Hill, with 29, and Andre McCarthy, on 11, are the not out batsmen. Raewin Senior has claimed the only STETHS wicket so far.

— Ainsley Clarke