CP's fairytail

Full of twists and turns throughout, the Cable & Wireless BET Under-15 cricket final witnessed its last and most compelling piece of drama yesterday.

Coleridge and Parry staged yet another grand fightback to grab the title they had previously shared with St. Peter neighbours Alexandra.

Amidst almost unbearable tension at the BET Sports Club, the Ashton Hall school transformed their overnight precarious position into a championship-winning one with a remarkable ninth-wicket partnership.

When Javon Searles and Jamal Bishop came together late on Wednesday, Coleridge and Parry, replying to 215, were 176 for eight and unable to negotiate an incisive spell of swing bowling from Alexandra captain Kirk Broomes.

By the time they were finally separated, 51 priceless runs were added against an Alexandra side that did not help their cause by conceding 18 extras on the final day which started an hour and ten minutes late because of wet conditions.

Searles continued in the attacking style he displayed on the second day and when the innings was ended, he had made an unbeaten 42 in what was arguably two most important hours of his brief career.

Bishop achieved his goal of staying with his more illustrious partner until the lead was attained before he was Broomes' eighth victim.

The late revival dispelled the views of those who believed Coleridge and Parry's batting depended solely on their prolific captain Renaldo Parris.

'Not many people know about Coleridge and Parry's resilience,' said coach Dennis Springer. 'These are determined guys and they were determined that we were going to the bitter end.

'We know that we have batsmen right down to No. 11, so there wasn't much panic in the camp.'

He also lauded Searles' effort.

'Javon is a very confident player,' Springer said about the tall right-hander. 'He likes to rise to the challenge and I knew that once he stayed there, we were going to get the runs.'

Alexandra coach Peter Vaughn graciously accepted that his side was second-best in the three-day match that attracted a fair crowd throughout.

'I'm a little disappointed, knowing the position that we were in, but, I can only say congrats to Coleridge and Parry.'

He was clear in his mind why Alexandra failed to win their second title at this level.

'Dropped catches were our major problem,' he said in reference to at least five identifiable chances Alexandra missed.

Asked if he believed complacency might have crept in against the background of Alexandra's seemingly unbeatable overnight position, Broomes said: 'I believe that the boys were giving of their best. They really wanted to do well.

'They were all ready and willing to do well and I don't think they got complacent at any time. I just think that they were putting in an extra effort and they were just unfortunate.'

Alexandra's second innings was almost meaningless.

In the 31 overs they faced before the match was called just after 4:30 p.m., opener Nevel Grazettes made 41, while Coleridge and Parry all-rounder Shane Ramsey followed up his five-wicket haul by collecting a further two scalps.

Ramsey, who also chipped in with 25, was Philo Wallace's choice as the Man-Of-The-Match, but there would have been other contenders in a highly competitive match.