Both Manchester and St Catherine Saints advanced to the third round of the Red Stripe-sponsored National 20/20 Championship following wins in the double-header hosted at Alpart Sports Club in St Elizabeth yesterday.

Manchester won by 58 runs after posting a challenging 185 for seven while St Catherine Saints easily chased G.C. Foster Crocodiles' paltry total of 70 for the loss of only three wickets.

Asked to take first strike by Kensington, Manchester, led by captain Gary Graham, posted 72 off the first 10 overs, losing four wickets. It was the platform the likes of Jaime Merchant and Donovon Sinclair needed as their power hitting helped Manchester to get 113 runs off the last 10 overs.

top score

Merchant, a former National Youth player, smashed four sixes and three fours in his top score of 57 from a mere 30 balls. Sinclair, brother of former Jamaica wicket/keeper batsman Matthew, hit 40 from 25 balls, including two sixes and three fours.

Needing to score at just over nine runs per over, Kensington, led by an early knock of 24 by Ryan Francis, laboured to 50 for four after 10 overs. Rasheed Outar would later contribute 40 but the telling effect of medium pacer Krismar Santokie's five-wicket haul from 3.5 overs coupled with the support of Sheldon Powell's 3 for 15 sealed the victory as Kensingston were bowled out for 127 in the 19th over.

St Catherine's win was achieved even easier after national leg-spinner Odean Brown snared four for nine off his alloted four overs and discarded national fast bowler Jermaine Lawson took two for nine from three. G.C. Foster, who had defeated Manchester representative South Stars the previous weekend in St Ann, crashed from 44 for five after 10 overs to 70 all out with just one player, Kemar Marshall (12), getting into double figures.

Keith Hibbert then struck 31 from 33 balls to make victory a mere formality.