Manchester coach relishes ‘special’ T20 triumph after turning tables on STETHS

BARRY Barnes, the veteran cricket coach of Manchester High, says winning the ISSA/GraceKennedy Twenty20 (T20) all-island title carries “special” satisfaction for him.

On Saturday, Manchester High defeated fierce rivals and schoolboy cricket kingpins St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) by five wickets in the Super 8 final at Sir P Oval in Clarendon.

While Barnes was pleased to flip the script on STETHS after Manchester fell short to their nemeses in two other finals this season, the all-island T20 triumph brought him a previously elusive title.

“It was very satisfying to [turn the tables on STETHS] in this final. This was the only title I hadn’t won at the schoolboy level — I had won all other titles. So, this one is a very special one that was promised to me by the team and they delivered,” Barnes told the Jamaica Observer.

Pajay Nelson, the Manchester captain, was the standout player in the match, hitting 92 as they powered to 186-5 with an over to spare in reply to STETHS’s score of 182-8.

Nelson, who normally keeps wicket, also starred with the ball, claiming 2-27 to support Jahdae Moore (3-29). Tyriek Bryan, the St Elizabeth Technical skipper, made 93.

The Manchester coach, who is also a national selector, was proud of the quality exhibited by both teams.

“The conditions were good for T20 cricket and it’s a very small field, but I think cricket won at the end of the day. There were some outstanding performances from Tyriek Bryan of STETHS and Pajay Nelson of Manchester,” he said.

“I think he [Nelson] was the deciding factor in the game. The way the boys chased the target, it was done extremely well. Whether the field is small or not, 180-odd runs is still a big total for schoolboys,” Barnes added.

Carl Wright, the STETHS coach, felt his team did not make full use of favourable batting conditions.

“We had a good start but in the latter part of the innings we didn’t capitalise. In the end, the score we got wasn’t good enough on a small field. It just wasn’t our day,” he explained.

After getting the better of Manchester High in the three-day Headley Cup final and the rural T20 championship match, as well as defeating urban Grace Shield title-holders St Jago High in the all-island Spalding Cup play-off, the STETHS coach said it was a successful campaign for his outfit.

“It was a good season — we contested three finals against Manchester and won two. We prevailed in most of the encounters but Manchester is a good team and congrats to them,” Wright said.

In the Super 8 third-place match that preceded the final, Excelsior High defeated St Jago by 35 runs. Excelsior made 178-8 before restricting St Jago for 143-4 in a match reduced to 18 overs per side.

The other schools in the Super 8 stage were Vere Technical, Tacky High, Campion College, and Jamaica College.

Barry Barnes, Manchester High cricket coach (Photo: Observer file)

Carl Wright, St Elizabeth Technical cricket coach (Photo: Observer file)