The doom and gloom surrounding Police was never evident in this emphatic Duckett Memorial victory over the Rest of Bermuda on Sunday, and showed what can be achieved with a committed club effort.

While some might believe this was a one-off performance as the main event on the Police rugby calendar, others would see it as a glimmer of hope for the Boys in Blue heading into the upcoming end of season Nicol Shield.

The win will certainly have given Teachers something to think about in their final league matches against Police over the next two weeks.

Even with captain Sean Field-Lament sidelined minutes before kick-off with a cut to his arm, Police gave a gritty performance with their pack giving nothing away to their more illustrious opposing eight.

But the Police forwards can thank their halfback veterans, Gareth Davies and particularly Alan Oliver, for always pushing the game into Rest territory when their own forwards' legs were tiring.

Oliver had a marvellous day with the boot, kicking three penalties, two dropped goals and two conversions for a haul of 19 points.

It all started with a fiery two minutes which saw some rampaging runs by Tom Steinoff.

Steinoff then caught the first line-out cleanly and prop John Williams drove over the line from five metres out. Five minutes later, huge lock Dana George crashed over for Police's second try with the sleepy Rest pack looking on.

The shell-shocked Rest responded with a lot of pressure and a certain try was on the cards before Greg Garside decided against using the overlap in what should have been a textbook score. However, with a continuous barrage near the Police try line, Rest prop Brian Desmond took the ball on from a ruck and scored near the posts.

Some aggressive tackling from wing Andy Trinder saved his team time and again but Oliver increased the Police lead with two easy penalties. Just before half-time, with the score at 18-7 and the Rest starting to take control in the loose, another certain try by the Rest was stifled when Ralshon Douglas picked the ball up and ran 60 metres to score after a blatant knock-on that everyone witnessed except the referee.

Police turned around after half-time with their tails up at 25-7 but it was Garside who scored for the Rest after Gavin Corcoran and Keith Hodgkins had made the breaks in midfield.

Police forwards turned up the heat with some good rucking that allowed Oliver to drop two goals within five minutes. Josh McGavern scored a consolation try late in the game from 50 metres and Oliver sealed the match with a final penalty kick.

While Teachers may have sewn up the local leagues, there is still an opportunity for the other clubs to restore the balance with the end of season knockout cups.

The draw for the final competitions are as follows: Saturday, March 25: Robin Hood Trophy (2nd XVs) -- Mariners v Renegades, 2.00 p.m.; Police v Teachers, 3.30 p.m.

Sunday, March 26: Nicol Shield (1st XVs) -- Police v Renegades, 2.00 p.m.; Mariners v Teachers, 3.30 p.m.

Finals: April 2.

On the attack: Josh McGavern (right) of The Rest releases the ball with support of team-mates (from left) Dennis Cherry, Devrae Noel Simmons and Rod Stewart during Sunday's Duckett Memorial, won by Police 34-17.