Forties dashed Jamaican Association?s hopes of landing this season?s coveted league and cup double when they pipped them by six runs in a pulsating finish to their Commercial Cricket League knockout first-round match.

Forties? victory in a low-scoring affair at Shelly Bay, following a dramatic batting collapse by the Jamaicans, earned them a semi-final clash at Southampton Oval against Fine Leg Byes, who had a first-round bye.

This weekend?s other semi-final at Wellington Oval will pit West Indian Association against league runners-up North Village after both clubs recorded emphatic victories.

WIA took only 32 balls to crush nine-man Devonshire Stars by nine wickets after bundling them out for 54 at Southampton Oval while Village polished off St. David?s by seven wickets at Lord?s.

Forties? win, which kept them on course to claim their 12th knockout title, avenged a four-wicket defeat by Jamaican Association in last season?s final at Sea Breeze Oval.

But as skipper Gordon Campbell said afterwards, Forties looked dead and buried when new league champions Jamaican Association ? seeking their third successive knockout title ? reached 75 for two from 26 overs in pursuit of a victory target of 115 with their most dangerous batsmen, Donovan Livingston and Lloyd Morrison, still at the crease.

Then David DeSilva and Blake West ?suddenly began to get the ball to swing in their second spells?, according to Campbell, and the Jamaicans faltered, slumping to 79 for six before eventually being dismissed for 108 with eight balls of the 40 overs left.

Livingston, who top scored with 29, added 37 for the third wicket with Morrison (16) but Morrison?s dismissal at 75 triggered the spectacular collapse which saw the last eight wickets tumble for 33 runs.

Earlier, Forties struggled to 114 in 31.4 overs after being sent in, Morrison accounting for four dismissals, taking two catches ? one a wonderful diving effort ? as well as producing two excellent legside stumpings from consecutive balls from Livingston (three for 14) to remove Harold Minors (13) and West.

Skipper Junior Lindo had impressive figures of four for 20 from eight overs while Ralston Wright chipped in with two for 22.

DeSilva was Forties? top scorer with 21 not out and the left-hander then bagged three for 20 from his eight-over spell, as he combined with West (two for 13) and John Ray (two for 20) to turn the match on its head, Braxton Stowe reeling in three fine catches ? two of them on the boundary.

DeSilva and West were both on a hat-trick in their second spells. West had Morrison caught behind with the second ball of his fifth over and then had Ian Coke caught in the slips by Stowe next ball while DeSilva trapped Glenroy Brown lbw for one with the first ball of his sixth over and bowled Lindo round his legs with his next.

Skipper Campbell (one for 21), who sealed the victory by bowling Wright after he had taken six runs off the first two balls off the penultimate over, said: ?As usual the game between us was a Herculean struggle and we were pleased to have an official umpire in Lester Harnett. The exceedingly long grass in the outfield didn?t help the batsmen and there were only nine fours in the entire match.?

Reprieved from being dumped out of the league after defaulting their final two league matches, St. David?s fielded a full team against North Village but were undone by three of their former players ? Jamie Roberts, Allen Richardson and Ernest McCallan.

Medium pacer Roberts claimed four for 44 from eight overs, Richardson three for 17 from 6.4 overs and Kevin Mallory two for six as St. David?s were bowled out for 119 in the 20th over, skipper Chris Pitcher top scoring with 29.

North Village then romped to victory in 18 overs, Kevin Lapsley hitting 45 and McCallan 34 not out. Lauren Marshall took two for 40 from seven overs.

Despite a late start, West Indian Association quickly wrapped up victory over Devonshire Stars.

Chris Jackson top scored with 16 as Stars were skittled out in 22.4 overs, Reginald Pitcher claiming three for six from five overs, Adrian Maclean three for 14 and Barry Richards two for three.

Although Pitcher was caught for nought off his first ball from Larry Allen (one for 32), WIA needed just 5.2 overs to reach 56 for one as Richards hammered four fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 30 and promoted Stan Francis lashed three sixes and two fours in his 26 not out.