Spin hero

Article by HAROLD?EASTMOND

LITTLE?off-spinner Ronaldo Callender will return to school this morning a hero as he bowled Combermere to a narrow seven-run victory over St Leonard’s Boys’ in the final of the BCA Everton Weekes Schools Under-13 Competition at Banks yesterday.
Callender took five for 26 from six overs to restrict St Leonard’s to 161 all out in 34.5 overs in reply to Combermere’s 168 for three in their 35 overs.
Callender, named Powerade Man of the Match, was strategically introduced in the 24th over with St Leonards’ in sight of victory at 108 without loss.
Combermere coach Roddy Estwick said after the game that he was confident Callender could do it because in all their other games he had performed well under pressure.
Opening stand
Well, Callender did not disappoint his coach because in the 26th over with the score on 125 without loss, Callender broke the entertaining opening stand between Tremaine Harris and Deswin Currency by dismissing Harris.
Callender then proceeded to wreck the middle and lower order of St Leonard’s as the Richmond Gap boys dramatically lost ten wickets for 36 runs in nine overs.
“I’m disappointed. After such a good start, the result is hard to take,” St Leonard’s coach Michael Franklyn said after the match.
While Harris and Currency were engaged in their century stand, St Leonard’s looked like easy winners. St Leonard’s captain and opener Currency compiled 52 with six fours and his partner Harris stroked four fours and two sixes in a topscore of 54.
But after this pair was parted it became the Callender show as he cleverly sliced through the rest of the order.
Earlier, Combermere won the toss and had no hesitation batting in cricketing weather. Combermere’s captain Leniko Boucher showed his class once again with a 96-ball 82, which contained five boundaries. Boucher shared a second-wicket stand of 106 with Kevron Bartlett, who contributed 40.
Coach Estwick said that in his 11 years as coach of Combermere this was the first year that he wasnot confident of winning the tournament as the team was made up of six first formers.
    “It is a credit to the players and the school that the boys worked hard in a short time and came out on top,” he said.
SCOREBOARD:
St. Leonard’s Boys vs Combermere School
(AT THE BREWERY)Weather: Sunny; Pitch: hard; Outfield: dry.
COMBERMERE Innings
*+L. Boucher c Hinds b Turney   82
D. Sylvain run out (Boyce)    8
K. Bartlett run out (Goodman)    40
S. Springer not out    0
N. Holder not out    5
Extras (nb2, w9, lb1, b1)     13
TOTAL (3 wkts – 35 overs)    168
Wkts fell at: 20, 126,    159.
Did not bat: R. Callender, A. Forde,
R. Layne, M. Lokhat, R. Smith, T. Chase.
Bowling: Turney 7-2-23-1, Goodman 6-0-37-0, Currency 7-0-19-0, Harris 7-0-39-0, Samuel 2-0-15-0, Brathwaite 6-0-33-0.
ST LEONARD’S Innings
T. Harris c Bartlett b Callender    54
*D. Currency c Callender b Bartlett    52
R. Hinds st Boucher b Callender    5
+D. Bobb c Sylvan b Springer    8
S. Turney lbw b Holder    6
K. Brathwaite run out (Springer)    2
R. Boyce c Bartlett b Smith    5
S. Knight b Callender    1
C. Holder st Boucher b Callender     0
N. Samuel b Callender    0
D. Goodman not out    1
Extras (nb4, w19, lb3, b1)    27
TOTAL (all out – 34.5 overs) 161
Wkts fell at: 125, 125, 137, 141, 152, 152, 158, 159, 160, 161.
Bowling: Springer 7-0-37-1, Smith 6-1-21-1, Holder 7-0-30-1, Layne 2-0-19-0, Bartlett 7-1-24-1, Callender 5.5-0-26-5.
Result: Combermere won by seven runs.
Umpires: Colin Headley, Devere Edwards.