MELBOURNE, St. Catherine Cricket Club, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and St. Ann are the semi-finalists in the Sandals All-Island limited overs competition.Melbourne completed an easy eight-wicket win over Kingston to top Group D; the soldiers trounced St. Elizabeth by 137 runs and St. Ann whipped Lucas by 96 runs. St. Catherine CC had already qualified for the last four last week after beating Clarendon at Chedwin Park.
At Derrymore Oval:Melbourne needed just over three hours to thrash Kingston.
Scores: Kingston 111 (Nehemiah Perry 45, Richard Smith 30; Marlon Samuels 4-20, Shacurie Wilson 2-38), Melbourne 112-2 (Aubrey Wollaston 45, Llewelyn Meggs 20 not out).
Melbourne won the toss and asked the visitors to take first strike and took charge almost immediately.
Opener Raymond Ferguson was well caught by captain Robert Samuels at first slip off the bowling of Conroy Miller for nought with no runs on the board in the opening over. It became 2-1 soon afterwards when Nicholas Austin was easily run out by Donald Bennett for one. Kingston lost their third wicket with only nine runs to their credit when Shane Brooks was dismissed by Meggs for four.
However, axed West Indies allrounder Perry and Smith added a valuable 81 runs for the fourth wicket before Smith fell to Marlon Samuels. Seven runs later, at 97, Perry was caught and bowled by Samuels five short of his half century.
Thereafter Kingston's remaining five wickets fell for just 14 runs as the visitors were bundled out in 23.5 overs.
With such a meagre target to chase, Melbourne reshuffled their batting line-up, using Kevin Baugh to open the innings with Aubrey Wollaston. Baugh fell for 19 at 30-1 and the attacking Wollaston was bowled by Terrence Corke for an attacking 45. However, Meggs (20) and Donald Bennett (12) stayed together to secure victory.
AT NELSON OVAL: St. Ann, courtesy of a attacking unbeaten century by Howard Harris off only 62 balls which included six sixes and eight fours, made light work of Lucas.
Scores: St. Ann 278-7 off 50 overs (Harris 100 n.o., Martinia Mills 36, Xavier Marshall 33; Omar Burke 2-40), Lucas 182 (Delroy Morgan 55; Emerson Jackson 3-24, Rashard Marshall 2-44).
AT ALPART: The JDF, led by a century from Wayne Cuff, humiliated St. Elizabeth to qualify for the last four.
Scores: JDF 284 (Cuff 109, Warren Medwynter 45; Kamal Dennis 4-59), St. Elizabeth 147 (Dennis 25, Ainsley Goffe 24, Roger Roy 23; Omar Ellington 4-30).
The JDF will play St. Catherine Cricket Club at Camp and St. Ann host Melbourne at Kaiser in the semi-finals next week.
