Manchester's captain Gary Graham (right) accepts the winning cheque for topping the all-island Senior Cup cricket competition from Jamaica Cricket Association president, Lyndel Wright. - Richard Bryan photo

Shortly after defeating St Elizabeth at Alpart on Sunday to win the Jamaica Cricket Association's (JCA) National Senior Cup Championship, their third in succession, Manchester's management team and senior players wanted to make a strong appeal to the local cricket hierarchy: select our players.

Captain Gary Graham, who was initially apprehensive when interviewed before the game for the customary match preview on the basis he saw it producing no merit for his team in the national selection room, continued a similar line in his post-match comments.

"We were always confident we were strong enough to win (the championship) again but you know my grouse," he charged.

"Deep down the players are wondering if that's all there is to it; we just don't get anything (selection) out of it," he said.

He was particularly peeved at the absence of any invitations for players from the parish to last year's National Twenty20 trials, as he feels both the National Social Development Commission (SDC) Community version and the JCA's own parish competition had seen remarkable talent and performances from the mid-island parish.

Coach Barry Barnes, who has been at the helm of all four victories in the national senior cricket competition during the past six years, appealed for a change in how the selectors, over the last few years, have viewed his charges.

"To win three years in a row is not an easy feat, and it must be the case that you have good and committed players. We have had a raw deal but I hope this time this victory will send a stronger message and the selectors can take a serious look at the players who have performed for us."

President of the Manchester Cricket Association, Pat Anderson, weighed in, prefacing his comments citing hotly disputed instances in the past with left-arm spinner Andre Dwyer, all-rounder Donovon Sinclair, medium pacer Krishmar Santokie (when he represented Manchester), and recent cases with Zeniffe Fowler and Jaime Merchant.

"It has not been a one or two cases thing (controversy) and the fact is we have had a difficulty explaining to our players why they have not been called to the trials or selected even whey they turn in good performances, especially knowing they have dominated this thing (competition)," Anderson, a life member of the JCA, argued.

"Can you imagine if we weren't able to motivate our players to keep playing the cricket at a high level?"

Despite feeling hard done by the lack of any national selections at the senior level, Anderson remains confident Manchester will continue to do well at the national parish level.

"It hasn't been good for us but we have soldiered on, and we have a good bank of talent at all the junior levels. We have been getting some junior selections and some of these players are coming through (developing) nicely, so we just have to wait and see."

The Senior Cup final highlighted a number of remarkable individual performances. Opener Damion Bryce, who hails from the parish but has represented St Catherine CC for the last three seasons, was fittingly adjudged the man of the match for his explosive innings of 99, while sharing an opening partnership of 89 in nine overs with Fowler (40). Bryce had hit an earlier century against St Thomas.

The top order was ably supported by 16-year-old Triston Parchment (73) and 18-year- old Sherdan Allen (54) - the teenaged pair connecting for a 101 sixth-wicket partnership that helped Manchester declare on 343 for eight. Merchant snared four wickets and in tandem with another spinner, left-armer David Powell (three), dismissed St Elizabeth for 201.

Barry Barnes, coach of Manchester's Senior Cup team. - Richard Bryan photo