After standout performances from Jamaica Scorpions players Jeavor Royal and Carlos Brown, St Catherine Cricket Club won their second Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Michael Holding Senior Cup title in three years after beating Melbourne Cricket Club in the final at Sabina Park.

St Catherine showed their quality over the three-day encounter, wrapping up a 131-run win on Sunday.

Scores: St Catherine 171 & 237; Melbourne 142 & 135.

St Catherine were already on course to lift the trophy after taking first-innings honours when they registered 171 and then bowled out Melbourne for 142.

St Catherine piled on the pressure and set Melbourne a target of 267 to win outright after scoring 237 all out in their second innings.

Brown, who scored 91 in the first innings, again led the way with the bat, scoring 64. He found support from opener Kevon Lettman, who had an even 50. Kennar Lewis contributed 39.

Abhijai Mansignh was the pick of the Melbourne bowlers with 4 for 51, while Matthew Comerie grabbed 3 for 65.

Jeavor Royal Photo: Observer file

In the run chase, Melbourne’s batting faltered yet again as they were bowled out for 135 in the 41st over.

Captain and left-arm finger spinner Royal, who collected an incredible eight wickets in the first innings, finished with 13 wickets after picking up 5 for 46. West Indies Under-19 left-arm wrist spinner Vitel Lawes supported with 2 for 49.

Kymani Wilson (32) and Captain Javelle Glenn (28) were main run scorers for Melbourne whose seven-year drought in the Senior Cup continues.

St Catherine, meanwhile, won their first title since 2023 after losing last year’s final to Kensington Cricket Club and falling at the semi-final stage in 2024.

Melbourne’s Comerie and Trelawny’s Osburn Palmer finished as the season’s leading wicket-takers with 47 each. Royal finishing just behind with 46.

Jamaica Defence Force batsman Tevin Gilzene was the competition’s leading run scorer with 685 runs in 11 innings at an average of 76.

Jermaine Blackwood of St Thomas Cricket Association, Kensington’s Ryan Francis, GC Foster College’s Sanjay Walker, and Trelawny Cricket Association’s Howard Palmer were the other batsman to aggregate 500 runs in the season.