CARL Wright, the St Elizabeth Technical High School head coach, gave the nod to his bowlers after they successfully defended the ISSA/Grace Spalding Cup cricket title at Melbourne Oval on Friday.

When rain curtailed action on the third and final day of the drawn encounter, STETHS were coasting on 196-1 — with a gigantic overall lead of 484 runs — batting a second time against St Jago High in the play-off match for all-island schoolboy cricket supremacy.

Opener Jermari Bryce and skipper Tyriek Bryan were left unbeaten on 81 and 79, respectively.

But it was earlier in the day that rural area Headley Cup champions STETHS landed the ultimate blow when they bowled out St Jago for 194 to secure first-innings honours, which handed them the title. St Elizabeth Technical were docked five runs for persistently running on a restricted area of the batting pitch.

Scores: 482 (92.4 ov) & 196-1 (28 ov); St Jago 194 (70.4 ov)

Wright said the bowling unit stood up on Friday after an inconsistent display the day before. The load was shared, with Eckoney Robinson grabbing 3-30, Adrian Silvera 2-27, and Juwayne Lawson (2-45) also chipping in.

“On Thursday we were kind of indisciplined in terms of not pitching the ball in the right areas but today we were very disciplined, and this was our best bowling [effort] this season to restrict St Jago to that total on a flat wicket,” he told the Jamaica Observer during a post-match interview.

Though urban Grace Shield winners St Jago battled back gamely to end Thursday on 122-2, Wright noted that his batsmen set the tone from the first innings.

Ryan Lyttleton led the way with 103, while Jamaica Under-19 left-hander Bryan (79), Shahiri Jaddo (77), Bryce (66), and Adrian Silvera (51) added significant knocks.

“We dominated the first day but the second was fairly even; however on the last day we dominated again, which speaks to the hard work and the collective effort from the team. You had someone making a century in the first innings — along with four half-centuries — and then two more half-centuries in the second innings. STETHS is all about the team, and not individuals,” Wright said.

Joseph Lemmie, the St Jago High head coach, noted the momentum was with their Santa Cruz-based opponents from day one.

“We gave the ascendancy to STETHS when they piled a mammoth 487 on a flat wicket. Their shot execution was very good and they [wore] down our bowling,” he told the Observer.

“STETHS played the better cricket, the smarter cricket, and I think STETHS wanted it more than us. They executed tactically and strategically better than us.”

Lemmie pointed to the batting group which fell down badly when there was a chance of batting out the day to share the title.

“At the close of day two we were 122-2, and I thought coming into today we would have batted time, knowing that rain would be a factor. But consistent bowling from STETHS basically got the better of us because we lost seven wickets for about 12 runs,” the coach of Spanish Town-based St Jago lamented.

LEMMIE… they executed tactically and strategically better than us Photo: Sanjay Myers

WRIGHT… we were very disciplined and this was our best bowling [effort] this season