MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Torrential afternoon showers on Thursday curtailed St Elizabeth Technical High School’s (STETHS) charge on the second day of the rural area Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Grace Headley Cup cricket final against Manchester High.

When rain halted proceedings at the Manchester High playing field the visiting STETHS team, set up by the pace bowlers, was in a dominant position heading into Friday’s last day.

Manchester High were in strife at 66-7 in their second innings to lead by a mere 31 runs with only three wickets in hand.

Earlier in the match, Manchester High, batting first, had made 140 before St Elizabeth Technical made 175 in their first-innings reply.

Play in the three-day contest is scheduled to resume on Friday with the Manchester pair of Rhevon Morgan and Jamario Wint at the wicket, both of whom are on zero.

If more bad weather forces a drawn result, STETHS would lift the Headley Cup title because they secured first-innings honours.

Scores: Manchester High 140 & 66-7; STETHS 175.

Resuming on Thursday from their overnight score of 127-5, STETHS added another 48 runs before they were bowled out.

Anil Braham was the top scorer for STETHS with 67. For Manchester, pacer Rasheed Harriott grabbed 5-33 while Wint claimed 3-22.

Faced with a first-innings deficit of 35 runs, Manchester’s problems were further compounded in the second innings as they slipped to 34-4 in quick time. Included in those early dismissals were the influential pair of Sanjay Walker (5) and Brian Barnes (7), who made 78 and 25, respectively, in the first innings.

Manchester High eventually stumbled along to 66-7 as Matthew Morgan top-scored with 30 before rain wiped out approximately two and a half hours of play.

Demar Freeburn has taken 3-8 for STETHS while his pace bowling partner Govasta Edmond, who accounted for six wickets in the first innings, has grabbed two so far in the second.

– Sanjay Myers