MANDEVILLE, Manchester — After their easy eight-wicket triumph in the preliminary round last month, St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) have every right to be confident going into the rural Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Grace Headley Cup cricket final against Manchester High here.

But STETHS Coach Clive Ledgister is intent on avoiding overconfidence and complacency.

“I want my team to be focused; we can’t get complacent,” Ledgister told the Jamaica Observer by telephone Tuesday on the eve of today’s start of the three-day contest.

“We bowled them out for 60-odd last month but that means nothing now. This is a brand new game and Manchester are a good team, they are going to come hard,” Ledgister added.

Barry Barnes, Manchester High’s coach, was quietly confident despite the one-sided defeat his team suffered last month.

“We know that STETHS will be coming bubbling with confidence but I don’t expect my team to play that badly again,” said Barnes.

“We have a trophy to defend,” he added.

Barnes’ latter comment was in reference to 2019 when Manchester High toppled STETHS in the all-rural final in Santa Cruz.

The novel coronavirus pandemic intervened in 2020, preventing a much-anticipated final between STETHS and Clarendon College.

There was no competition last year as well, because of the pandemic.

Manchester High and STETHS reached this season’s final at Manchester High School, after dominating their opponents in the semi-finals.

Manchester High defeated Tacky High by an innings and four runs at Content Gardens, Ocho Rios. At Santa Cruz, STETHS, with a huge first-innings lead over Garvey Maceo High, chose second-innings batting practice rather than enforcing the follow on. Predictably, the game ended in a tame draw.

Yet, despite their dominant semi-final displays, both finalists had major batting concerns. Manchester High were stumbling badly at 67-6 in their second innings when 16-year-old Brian Barnes, son of the coach and younger brother of former national youth player Brad Barnes, hit a stroke-filled, 105-ball 120 to give his team the dominant hand against Tacky High.

At Santa Cruz, STETHS opener Sean Roye was the only truly convincing top-order batsman with 46 and 59. In their first innings, the many-time champions needed their lower order, featuring a last-wicket stand of 90 between Kevin Graham (90) and Demar Freeburn (37), to rescue them from deep strife.

In the final, both teams will feel more confident in their bowling attacks. For Manchester High, left-arm spinner Jaheem Bartley — a national representative at the age group level — took eight wickets against Tacky High and will again be viewed as the leader of the attack.

For STETHS, paceman Govasta Edmond, fast, accurate and penetrative, looked the most dangerous bowler on show against Garvey Maceo.

Both teams will be watching the weather closely. There has been plenty of rain in central Jamaica, which means this two-innings, three-day match could easily end up being decided on first innings.

— Garfield Myers