Tony Becca

THE CURTAIN came down on the Jamaica Cricket Association's season two Saturdays ago with the playing of the Capital & Credit All Island limited overs competition at Chedwin Park and congratulations to Kensington CC on winning the title.

In a brilliant late rush, in one of the most dramatic finals in local competitions for a long time, Kensington, led by spinners Dennis Bulli and veteran Robert Haynes, nailed defending champions and pre-match favourites Melbourne and left them wondering what had hit them.

After limiting Kensington to 200 in 49.5 overs, Melbourne were sailing along happily at 121 for two after 20 overs and, with 80 needed for victory from 30 overs, with West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels and West Indies Youth batsman Andre McCarthy in the 40s and on the go, with West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman, the hard-hitting Carlton Baugh Jnr. and others like Llewelyn Meggs and Yanick Elliott to come, it seemed all over bar the shouting.

Left-arm wrist spinner

Into the attack came Bulli, however, and with the left-arm wrist spinner bowling from the north and legspinner Haynes switching from the north and now bowling from the south, the match took a sudden and dramatic turn, and in 17.5 overs it was over.

Melbourne were routed for 160 with Bulli finishing with five for 28 off nine overs and Haynes, after looking unimpressive while conceding eight runs in one over from the north, with figures of three for 19 off 9.5 overs.

While some will say it was tough luck for Melbourne who lost eight wickets for 30 runs or that Melbourne threw away the game by some careless and reckless batting, and while, after reaching 130 for two with 71 to get from 30 overs less a ball or two and with eight wickets in hand, that may be true, it was also true that they were beaten by a team that stuck to their guns, by a team that never gave up, by Maurice Kepple, who took a magnificent diving catch coming in off the long-on boundary to dismiss Meggs off Haynes, and by two bowlers - Haynes and Bulli, but especially Bulli who spun a web of deception around the Melbourne batsmen.

Mesmerised batsmen

Dropping the ball on the spot and spinning it both ways almost from the moment captain Wavell Hinds handed it to him, Bulli totally mesmerised the batsmen, including Samuels and McCarthy who he drew down the pitch and left them stranded and strokeless and looking lost before the impressive wicketkeeper Ranville Brown did the rest.

In getting rid of Baugh, who he beat a few times before bowling him as the batsman, in desperation, charged down the pitch, Haynes bowled well. He was, however, assisted by Bulli at the other end.

Bulli, who dismissed Samuels in his first over after the batsman had greeted him with a chancey six that was nearly caught on the mid-wicket boundary, bowled well, he scrambled the brains of the batsmen who could not pick his spin and the result was that they were like sitting ducks, not only for him but also for Haynes.

In congratulating Kensington, therefore, a special word of congratulations must go to the left-arm spin bowler. Without him, Melbourne, more than likely, would still be the champions of the 50-over contest.

In Andre Dwyer of Manchester, there is another one like Bulli in this country, Jamaica and the West Indies need some good spin bowlers, bowlers who spin the ball, bowlers who deliver the ball from the back of the hand and who spin the ball both ways, hopefully both of them will be in this country's short list next time we prepare to take the field for a four-day match and, hopefully, one of them will be in the starting XI.