We stuck to our task and stayed focused – coach Barnes

HEAD coach of Manchester High School’s cricket team, Barry Barnes, said his team were aware of the quality of the May Day High School team and the threat they posed, but they were always confident that they would lift the 2024 ISSA/GK Insurance Headley Cup on yesterday’s final day of the three-day final.

Manchester defeated May Day by 140 runs at the Manchester High cricket field. Scores: Manchester 219 and 189; May Day 118 and 150.

“We never expected May Day to come and play dead. We knew that they were coming hard, but we had plans and we stuck to our task and stayed focused. I think they (May Day) played extremely well, but this is the game of cricket, someone has to win and someone has to lose,” Barnes stated.

Oral Simpson, head coach of May Day, in his post-game assessment, stated that complacency was the cause of May Day’s demise. Simpson congratulated champions Manchester who were, according to him, the more disciplined team during the 2024 final.

“I think we were well-placed with two set batsmen (Nashane Meade and Javed Williams), but complacency set in. That is what we talked about a lot during the final. We were complacent and lost too many sessions. We were always playing catch-up in the game and that’s why at the end we weren’t victorious,” Simpson said.

Resuming yesterday on 66 for three, May Day were bundled out shortly after lunch. Nashane Meade who top scored with 42, and Javed Williams, 35, were the only batters to put up some resistance to the Manchester bowling unit as five players failed to score. Meade and Williams tried to rescue the May Day innings which at one point was 43 for three as they came together and put on a partnership of 48 runs.

Seamer Jahdae Moore was the chief destroyer for Manchester High; he bagged four for 15, while partner Rhevon Morgan, who was voted player of the match, had figures of three for 34. He ended the match with overall figures of eight for 51.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com