Anthony Foster, Gleaner Writer

St Catherine Saints, down to face Manchester Lions in today's final of the Red Stripe Twenty20 Championship, were embroiled in a controversial incident during the semi-finals at Sabina Park yesterday.

In the ninth over of their semi-final match against Hanover Dolphins, Saints' bowler Odean Brown, a national senior player, was involved in a collision with Dolphins' batsman Kennar Lewis, who was in the process of completing a single. Lewis was knocked to the ground.

The umpires - Christopher Wright and Earl Pottinger - immediately summoned St Catherine's captain Danza Hyatt and both batsmen to a brief midfield meeting, before warning Brown, who was waiting at the bowler's end.

Replying to Hanover's 136 for nine off their allotted 20 overs, the Saints achieved victory at 138 for seven.

Competitive total

Electing to bat, Kennar Lewis, who was brutal against West Indies fast bowler Jermaine Lawson in their opening overs, set the stage for Hanover's competitive total.

Lewis later welcomed wicketkeeper-turned-bowler, Keith Hibbert, with a six on top of the George Headley stand to bring up his 50. He, however, fell in the same over, which cost 16 runs, after hitting three sixes and as many fours in his 55.

Chan Wakefield, 28, and Kadian McKenzie, 10, were the other leading scorers against Wayne Morgan 2-24 and Jermaine Lawson 2-38.

In St Catherine's reply, André Russell took on Levy in the fourth over, but after hitting him for two sixes and a four, held out to Aldane Samuel on the extra-cover boundary.

Danza Hyatt contributed a quick-fire 32 with a pair of sixes and four off 18 balls while Hibbert chipped in with 31 to take the Saints closer to their target.

However, after both batsmen fell at 73 and 123, the Saints had to work harder for every run and ended up needing to score four runs in the final over.

Four deliveries

Damion Bryce and Wayne Morgan were at the crease, but after the former took a single off the fist delivery, the latter edged Omar Campbell into the safe hands of wicketkeeper Lewis, leaving three runs still to get off four deliveries. Dean Morgan, the last man in, had the biggest smile as the only delivery he faced went crashing into the long-off boundary, handing the Saints a three-wicket victory.

In the first game, Lions' left-arm pacer Krishmar Santokie bowled his team to a sweet nine-run victory over Melbourne.

Melbourne, in reply to Manchester's 123 for nine, got an opening stand of 23 from John Ross Campbell, 13, and Damion Henry, 12.

However, when both were dismissed within five runs, things took a turn for the worse and Melbourne were dismissed for 114. Carlton Baugh got 37 and Yanick Elliott 16. But wickets tumbled at regular intervals - 62-4, 104-6, 113-8 - as the Half-Way Tree-based club crashed to a 9-run defeat.

Santokie strengthened his case for inclusion in Jamaica's team, scheduled to be announced today or tomorrow, with his second five-wicket haul in two games. He finished with 5-19 off four overs.

David Powell supported with 2-15.

Earlier, batting for Manchester Zeniffe Fowler top-scored with 37 and along with Donovan Sinclair, 27, and Gary Graham, 15, put together 34 and 39 for the third and fifth wickets, respectively.

Fowler hit two sixes and a four off 33 balls and Sinclair, a six and four off 27 balls.

Elliott with 2-20, and Damion Jacobs 2-3, took the most wickets for Melbourne.

Today's final is set to set to start at 2 p.m. at Sabina Park.