Powell powers St Elizabeth into final

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

A man-of-the-match performance from out-of-favour Jamaica and West Indies fast bowler Daren Powell yesterday guided St Elizabeth to first innings honours over St Ann and into the final of the two-day Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) Senior Cup.

The game, which was played at Alpart Oval, St Elizabeth, saw Powell claiming match figures of four for 41 and four for 51, to go with his first innings top score of 67, as St Ann, set an imposing 284 to win outright, closed the day the day on 257 for eight, 27 runs short of what would have been a memorable victory.

Resuming the day on 70 for three and needing another 112 runs to overhaul St Elizabeth's competitive first innings total of 281, St Ann faltered under the pressure of Powell and Linton Buchanan, who claimed five for 31, and were dismissed for a paltry 130.

St Ann, however, decided not to roll over and die, and thanks two wicket hauls from pacer Ricardo Dacres and Junior Carr, they were able to bowl out St Elizabeth for 132 in their second innings.

Cassius Burton, who made 56 in the home team's first innings, made a top score of 38.

The visitors, set the victory target, then went about pulling off an unlikely outright win, and thanks to 102 from Xavier Marshall, which included nine sixes, had a shot with the score on 223 for three at one stage.

However, thanks to a combination of steady bowling from Powell, and pacer Mark Gordon, who bagged two for 56, and bad light, St Elizabeth were able to hold on.

St Elizabeth's opponent in the final will be either defending champions Manchester or Melbourne, whose semi-final fixture, which was slated for Melbourne Oval, was abandoned due to an unfit wicket, reportedly due to the recent heavy rains.