Santa Cruz , St Elizabeth — Defending champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and Manchester High were in a titanic struggle for first innings advantage on day one of their ISSA/Grace Headley Cup semi-final clash at the STETHS Sports complex here yesterday.

Scores: STETHS 190; Manchester High 67-4. The game is scheduled for two days but could be extended to tomorrow to facilitate a result. It is a replay of last week’s clash which was abandoned because of rain. The team coming out on top will meet Holmwood Technical High in the final scheduled for Manchester High.

After winning the toss and batting, STETHS lost wickets at regular intervals and were in deep trouble at 92-6 in the post-lunch session with top batsman, all-rounder Andre McCarthy falling for 32.

But wicketkeeper batsman Joseph Simpson (52) and Odane Thompson (33) shared a gritty seventh-wicket stand of 88 to help their team to a competitive score. The dreadlocked, right-handed Simpson stroked four fours in his 113-ball knock.

The departure of Simpson and Thompson within 10 runs of each other signalled the end of the STETHS innings with the last three wickets falling at 190. Manchester High captain and West Indies Under-19 all-rounder Brad Barnes (5-61) who got disconcerting bounce on occasions, and fellow off-spinner Wavel Anniford (5-47) shared all 10 wickets.

STETHS fast bowlers McCarthy (1-47) and Andre Blake (1-8) quickly reduced Manchester High to 17-2 before Rashawn Beale, not out 2,7 and Javardi Francis (12) repaired the innings in a third-wicket stand of 37.

But the run out of Francis as the batsmen attempted a second run and the dismissal of top batsman Barnes for four – bowled between bat and pad by the off-spinner Nigel Palmer (1-5) at 62-4 — meant the defending champions ended the day on a high.

Andre Morgan, not out one, will resume with Beale today.

— Garfield Myers