St. James U15 Cricket team etched their name into history on Monday when they stormed into the quarter-finals of the 32nd Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competition. In a remarkable twist, it was the prowess of female bowler Samoya Samuels that proved pivotal, as she secured a hat-trick to clinch victory against many-time national champion St. Elizabeth.

Despite a modest batting performance that saw them score 61 all out, with Ryan Parris leading the way with 17 runs and Sanjany Samuels contributing 14, St James’ efforts were bolstered by a notable 20 extras. St. Elizabeth's Eckoney Robinson emerged as a formidable force, claiming 5-15 in 10.4 overs, while Jayden Shaw captured 2-7 in nine overs.

However, it was in the field that St. James truly dazzled. St. Elizabeth, historically a dominant force, faced an unprecedented collapse, being dismissed for a mere 25 runs in 14.3 overs.

The team's reliance on 11 extras highlighted their struggle against St. James' impressive bowling attack. Jaheim Bennett's contribution of five runs emerged as the sole spark amidst the challenge. The star of the show, Samoya Samuels, exhibited her finesse with the ball, taking the last three wickets with three consecutive deliveries. Her remarkable feat concluded St. Elizabeth's inning in just 1.3 overs. Jaden Williams and Desron Dunn also showcased their prowess, each taking three wickets for six and seven runs, respectively.

Cecil Fletcher, President of the St. James Cricket Association, beamed with pride as he hailed his team's exceptional performance. Eagerly anticipating the upcoming quarter-final match against multiple-time national champion Manchester, Fletcher's optimism was palpable.

Richard Walters, manager of the St. Elizabeth team, acknowledged the challenging year they faced, winning only two of their four preliminary round matches. Despite the setbacks, he expressed confidence in the team's resilience, citing their historical success in the quarter-final round.

Results from other completed matches on the day revealed a dynamic array of outcomes. The Portland vs. Kingston match was rained out, while Kensington triumphed over Lucas and Trelawny emerged victorious against Hanover. St. Catherine Cricket Club secured a win against KSACA (Kingston & St. Andrew Cricket Association), while Manchester triumphed over St. Catherine Cricket Association, the only other team to suffer defeat in all their matches. The Portmore vs. Boys Town match ended in a draw, and the rescheduled Clarendon vs. St. Ann match similarly resulted in a tie.

Looking ahead, all eyes are on the forthcoming quarter-final matches scheduled for the 21st of the month. With the pursuit of victory as their driving force, teams from across the island will converge at four venues, ready to make their mark in this exhilarating cricket competition.

Sixteen-year-old Ryan Lue and Jodi Munn-Barrow are the early leaders at the National Senior Trials which teed off on Friday at the Half Moon Golf Course in St. James. The trials will be used to select Jamaica’s team for the 66th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship.

Lue posted two under-par 70 to be the only golfer to post an under-par score at the end of the first round.

His scorecard showed three birdies on the front nine on holes two, eight and nine for a three under- par 33.

He then started the back nine positively with a birdie on hole number ten and was four under par at that point but was pegged back by two bogeys on holes fifteen and seventeen, to close the round with a three-stroke lead over Zandre Roye. 

Roye scored one over par 73 for his second place at the end of the round. 

Former national golf champion, Sean Morris, was a close third on two over-par 74 but four strokes off the lead. 

The 2022 national golf champion, Oshae Haye, was not far off on 75. 

The current national golf champion, William Knibbs, and Dr. Mark Newnham were holding down the fifth spot on four over par 76 each. 

The top two ladies on the course were closely bunched together and are within one shot of each other. The Jamaica Golf Association president Jodi Munn-Barrow was on nine over par 81 while Mattea Issa was in second place on ten over par 82. 

"Conditions were very difficult today. A lot of rain has fallen in Montego Bay so the course was extremely wet. While we were playing there was rain so it was very, very hard condition to play under but overall happy with the outcome. Did leave some on the course but look forward to tomorrow" said Munn-Barrow. 

The other female in the field was Anoushka Khatri who posted 93 for third place. 

The golfers are set to tee off at 9:30 am Saturday for the second round.