IN the midst of a tremendous run in the 50-over format that has seen them win three consecutive all-island limited-overs titles, St Catherine Cricket Club Captain Danza Hyatt is urging players to make the transition to the national team.

St Catherine, who beat St Elizabeth Cricket Association and The University of the West Indies in the two previous finals, brushed aside Kingston CC by nine wickets in Saturday’s championship match at Chedwin Park to retain their title.

“I hope that the powers of Jamaica’s cricket can elevate these St Catherine players to the next level because we’ve been playing good cricket these last three seasons,” Hyatt, the out-of-favour national batsman, told the Jamaica Observer in a post-match interview.

Hyatt, who has played nine One-Day Internationals for the West Indies, stressed the need for his club teammates to carry their form into the Jamaica Scorpions set-up.

“Previously we had guys at the trials and no one pushed into the team… but we can perform at that level,” the St Catherine skipper said.

The Scorpions are currently in Barbados competing in the Regional Super50 tournament. No St Catherine player is a part of that set-up, but several — including Hyatt, opener Oraine Williams, left-arm spinner Stephan Casey and all-rounders Gavin Wallace and Peat Salmon — were at the 50-over trials and did not make the cut.

Opener Shacaya Thomas opted out of the trials due to injury.

Looking back on the club triumph, Hyatt praised former Innswood High standout Williams for his brilliant 146 not out, and for adding 152 runs for the first wicket with Thomas, who made 43.

But the 33-year-old St Catherine skipper was also pleased with the overall team contribution after they made 230-1 in reply to Kingston’s 228. St Catherine pacer Brian Buchanan, another player with national experience, was crafty in capturing 3-29 after Kingston won the toss and batted first.

“I know the quality of my bowling attack and I knew the pitch would be better batting second. We wanted to get them out for no more than 250 and we got them out for 228, so that was an under-par score.

“We knew that if we got the kind of start [from the opening batsmen] that we’ve got all season we’d be cruising, and the guys continued to bat well,” he said.

Williams, 24, was scoring his first century of the season. The former national youth batsman told the Observer he was due to get to triple figures after previously notching decent scores, including passing the half-century mark on a couple of occasions.

“The skipper asked that at least one man from the top order bats all the way. I put my hand up and took the opportunity and batted to carry it home for my team. From earlier in the season I was getting scores, but not big scores, so I just went back to the basics and kept working hard and I knew that at some point the hundred would come,” he reasoned.

Williams said transitioning from the schoolboy level to senior club cricket has not been easy.

“From the schoolboy level to the club level, it’s a big transition so I have been putting in the work. I realised that the hard work will lead to success, so I kept working hard over the years,” he explained.

Time spent honing his medium-pace bowling also reaped rewards as he grabbed two wickets in the final.

“I believe I’m a genuine all-rounder, but I do prefer batting so I could be classified a batting all-rounder. Whenever the skipper asks me to do a job I just do it to the best of my ability. I put the ball in the right areas and I was patient.”

Garth Garvey, the Kingston Tigers captain, said the batting let down the team on Saturday.

“We didn’t apply ourselves well as a batting unit; throughout the season the bowling has been bringing us through. We have to look at how we approach our batting and to rotate the singles. We didn’t rotate well enough, so next year hopefully we can come back better,” he said.

Garvey explained that all is not lost for the youthful set-up and warned opponents of what is to come.

“We have a lot of positives to take out of this as a team. We are a young team and to be in the final is a great achievement, so what we have to do is to build on this. We have a good programme at Kingston and the guys are keen and showing the effort. When we get it right we are going to be a very dangerous team,” he told the Observer.