Bridgetown, Barbados, December 9 – (www.bcacricket.org) - Ryan Hinds hit a timely, unbeaten half-century and with Javon Searles blasted title holders ICBL Empire into the final of the 2011 BCA Sagicor General Twenty20 championship by four wickets with four balls to spare over YMPC as tempers flared at Kensington Oval tonight.

After Empire were in some bother on 69 for five in the 14th over chasing 125 to win, man-of-the-match Hinds, who made 51 not out off 38 balls with four fours and two sixes and his fellow Barbados T20 player Searles, who scored 23 off 14 balls including three boundaries, exploded to put on 45 in just 4.3 overs.

The onslaught was most fitting after the required scoring rate had risen to just over ten runs an over in a match which became acrimonious and resulted in five players being hauled before match referee Colin Bowen.

YMPC captain Dwayne Smith, who topscored with 65 off 61 balls including five fours and two sixes in his team’s 124 for seven and was at the centre of a very controversial decision, ruled ‘not out’ when the Empire players felt he was bowled by left-arm spinner Hinds on 33, gambled towards the ‘death’ by bringing on off-spinner Ryan Wiggins for the 16th over from the Joel Garner end at the north.

It proved disastrous as 21 runs were scored including a massive six over straight long-off by left-hander Hinds. To add insult, the experienced Wiggins also delivered two wides and two consecutive no-balls.

Ten runs came off the next over from medium-pacer Smith and when Surrey County fast bowler Christopher Jordan was brought back for a second spell in the 18th over, he conceded nine runs including a neat flick to the fine-leg boundary by Searles, who was bowled off stump with the last delivery.

Dave Mohammed, the Trinidad & Tobago and former West Indies left-arm unorthodox spinner, who took three for 16 off four overs and agonisingly missed out on a hat-trick through a dropped catch, at least had the pleasure of hit the winning runs when he drove Jordan to the cover boundary.

Empire first lost Jason Parris, who was run out for two in the second over and by the end of the tenth over, the score was 47 for three.

Left-hander Jason Haynes was bowled by improving off-spinner Nekoli Parris for ten and the in-form Kevin Stoute was leg before wicket by the same bowler for 14.

There was further pressure when leg-spinner Kayode Pantophlet had Alcindo Holder stumped by Shane Dowrich for four in the 11th over with the score on 48 and veteran Shawn Graham (five) drove Smith into the hands of mid-off in Shamar Cooke.

Hinds was dropped on 15 just inside the extra-cover boundary by Steven Blackett off Pantophlet with the score 57 for four in the 13th over, which yielded 12 runs.

But after Parris conceded only two runs off the 15th over by which stage Empire were 74 for five, Hinds and Searles lifted the tempo in telling style.

After winning the toss, YMPC got off to a brisk start with Smith taking 19 runs off the very first over from medium-pacer Stoute.

Blackett was leg before wicket by Hinds for four in the second over before Smith and Parris added 39 off 6.5 overs for the third wicket.

Controversy erupted in the first ball of the eighth over with the score on 49 for one when Hinds, operating from the Malcolm Marshall end, was certain he had bowled Smith and ran towards extra-cover in celebration as his team-mates joined him.

As Smith remained at the crease, the Empire fielders appealed vigorously to veteran umpire Dalton Holder and his square-leg counterpart Ryan Willoughby, who soon consulted. With all sorts of remonstrating from the Empire players, play was held up for three minutes.

Parris was soon caught at the wicket by Jamal Smith, the Empire captain, off fast bowler Searles for 15 and Dowrich was run out for three to leave YMPC 71 for three after 11 overs.

Wiggins scored 15 off 18 balls before he was caught at long-on by Holder off Mohammed.

Smith was eventually caught at long-on by Stoute off seamer Andre Evelyn in the penultimate over.

Then in an eventful over from the Marshall end, Mohammed removed Jordan caught and bowled for eight off the third ball from a lofted shot on the on-side, Matthew King was stumped next delivery and Cooke was badly dropped at point by Stoute as Mohammed was denied the hat-trick.

In Sunday’s final, Empire will clash with CGI/Sandy Crest Maple, the inaugural champions in 2008.

SCORECARD

YMPC

*D. Smith c Stoute b Evelyn         65    (61 balls, 5 fours, 2 sixes)

S. Blackett lbw b Hinds                  4    (2 balls)

N. Parris c wk Smith b Searles      15    (19 balls, 1 four)

+S. Dowrich run out (Stoute)         3    (6 balls)

R. Wiggins c Holder b Mohammed  15   (18 balls, 2 fours)

C. Jordan c & b Mohammed             8   (11 balls)

M. King st Smith b Mohammed        1   (3 balls)

K. Pantophlet not out                      2   (1 ball)

S. Cooke not out                            1  (1 ball)

Extras (lb3, w5, nb2)                    10

TOTAL (7 wks, 20 overs)               124

Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Blackett, 2 overs), 2-60 (Parris, 8.5), 3-71 (Dowrich, 11), 4-97 (Wiggins, 15.3), 5-115 (Smith, 18.3), 6-121 (Jordan, 19.3), 7-121 (King, 19.4).

Did not bat: C. Watson, J. Yearwood.

Bowling: Stoute 1-0-19-0 (w2), Hinds 4-0-15-1 (w1, nb2), Searles 4-0-25-1, Evelyn 3-0-18-1, Warrican 4-0-28-0 (w1), Mohammed 4-0-16-3 (w1).

EMPIRE

J. Parris run out (Parris)                  2    (6 balls)

K. Stoute lb b Parris                       14   (20 balls, 1 four)

J. Haynes b Parris                          10   (18 balls, 1 four)

A. Holder st Dowrich b Pantophlet     4   (9 balls)

R. Hinds not out                            51    (38 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes)

S. Graham c Cooke b Smith             5    (10 balls)

J. Searles b Jordan                        23   (14 balls, 3 fours)

D. Mohammed not out                     5   (3 balls, 1 four)

Extras (lb3, w7, nb2)                     12

TOTAL (6 wks, 19.2 overs)            126

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Parris, 1.3 overs), 2-30 (Haynes, 7.1), 3-31 (Stoute, 8), 4-48 (Holder, 10.3), 5-69 (Graham, 13.3), 6-114 (Searles, 18).

Did not bat: *+J. Smith, J. Warrican, A. Evelyn.

Bowling: Yearwood 4-0-16-0 (w3), Jordan 3.2-0-23-1 (w1), Parris 4-0-14-2, Pantophlet 3-0-23-1 (w1), Smith 4-0—26-1, Wiggins 1-0-21-0 (w2, nb2).

Result: Empire won by four wickets.

Sagicor General Man-of-the-Match: Ryan Hinds.

Adjudicator: Vasbert Drakes.

Toss: YMPC.

Umpires: Dalton Holder, Ryan Willoughby.

Match referee: Colin Bowen.

Duckworth-Lewis Manager: Suzanne Belle.

Scorers: Suzanne Belle, Leslay Prescod, Harold Fortune.

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2011 BCA Sagicor General Twenty20 championship, 2nd semi-final, Results, Scores

Bridgetown, Barbados, December 9 – (www.bcacricket.org) - Summarised scores and results of play in the second semi-final match of the 2011 BCA Sagicor General Twenty20 championship at Kensington Oval here tonight:

YMPC 124-7 (20 overs) (Dwayne R. Smith 65 – 61 balls, 5 fours, 2 fours; Nekoli Parris 15, Ryan Wiggins 15; Dave Mohammed 3-16).

ICBL Empire 126-6 (19.2 overs) (Ryan Hinds 51 – 38 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes; Javon Searles 23 – 14 balls, 3 fours; Kevin Stoute 14, Jason Haynes 10; Nekoli Parris 2-14).

Result: Empire won by four wickets.

Sagicor General Man-of-the-Match: Ryan Hinds.

Adjudicator: Vasbert Drakes.

Toss: YMPC.

Umpires: Dalton Holder, Ryan Willoughby.

Match referee: Colin Bowen.

Duckworth-Lewis Manager: Suzanne Belle.

Scorers: Suzanne Belle, Leslay Prescod, Harold Fortune.

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INNINGS

Bridgetown, Barbados, December 9 – (www.bcacricket.org) - Summarised innings scores of play in the second semi-final match of the 2011 BCA Sagicor General Twenty20 championship at Kensington Oval here tonight:

YMPC 124-7 (20 overs) (Dwayne R. Smith 65 – 61 balls, 5 fours, 2 fours; Nekoli Parris 15, Ryan Wiggins 15; Dave Mohammed 3-16) v ICBL Empire.

Toss: YMPC.

Umpires: Dalton Holder, Ryan Willoughby.

Match referee: Colin Bowen.

Duckworth-Lewis Manager: Suzanne Belle.

Scorers: Suzanne Belle, Leslay Prescod, Harold Fortune.