North Village outplayed West Indian Association to vault to the top of the Commercial Cricket League standings on Sunday but Forties stayed on Village?s heels by upsetting defending champions Jamaican Association in another key clash.

Village, last season?s runners-up, beat WIA by 65 runs at St. John?s Field while left-arm medium pacer David DeSilva?s five-wicket haul helped Forties eke out a 32-run victory over the Jamaicans in a low-scoring and rain-shortened match at Shelly Bay despite Lloyd Morrison?s fighting half century.

Meanwhile, Fine Leg Byes, whose opening match against Village was controversially called off because of early-morning rain and later declared a draw by the league, notched up a two-wicket victory over St. David?s at Garrison Field where windy conditions forced the teams to play most of the game without bails.

Village and WIA put aside the acrimony which followed their abandoned knockout semi-final match last season to produce an entertaining match in which pace bowler Chris Caisey marked his return to the Village ranks from Flatts by claiming four for 25 from 12 overs to help engineer the victory that lifts Village to 25 points, two ahead of Forties and eight clear of WIA.

Opener Mike Payne batted for all but one ball of their 42 overs to compile a patient 77, which included eight fours and a six, to lay the foundation for Village?s 205 for five after they had been sent in.

Junior Watts, who finished with three for 48 from 11 overs, rocked Village, whose top batsman Allen Richardson was off the Island, by bowling David Scraders for nought on his return to the team. But Payne teamed up with Clarkie Darrell (32) to add 74 runs for the third wicket and later added 67 for the fourth wicket with Ernest McCallan (36) as Village took command.

Dave Greenidge topscored with 38 but WIA?s innings was undermined by Caisey, Reggie Benjamin (three for 69 from 12 overs) and Darrell (two for 22 from nine) with half the wickets tumbling with only 70 runs on the board.

Village were held up by last pair Jerry Callender (17 not out) and Watts (eight), who added 29 runs and batted for more than nine overs together before they were parted, Village eventually dismissing WIA for 140 in the 38th over.

WIA skipper Barry Richards, who had his nose smashed and injured his right eye when he dropped a catch in the slips the previous week, was trapped lbw for one by a Benjamin yorker and admitted: ?I still can?t see very well and didn?t pick up the ball at all. My eye is still painful but there?s no major damage to it.?

He added: ?Village played well. They bowled well and deserved to win. We lost too many early wickets and put pressure on the later batsmen but it?s going to be a competitive season.?

Forties avenged a narrow defeat by Jamaican Association in this season?s Players? Memorial Trophy match by seeing them off on an overcast and windy day that was tailor-made for swing bowling.

Kevin Abraham claimed three for 38 from 14 overs and skipper Junior Lindo took three for 18 from five overs as Forties were restricted to 137 for eight in their 40 overs on a slow outfield, a total boosted by an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 22 by Oscar Andrade (eight) and Trinidadian newcomer Rohan Davis, who made 14 not out, after useful contributions from Braxton Stowe (24), Brian Brangman (23), DeSilva (22) and David Jones (21).

DeSilva?s five for 36 from nine overs broke the back of the Jamaican innings but Morrison, batting at number three, kept his team in the hunt until he was ninth out for 50, including three boundaries, at the final score of 105.

Opener Norman Godwin made 19 while skipper Gordon Campbell and Blake West took two wickets apiece as the final six Jamaican wickets tumbled for 35 runs.

Said Campbell: ?Lloyd gave us a few heart flutters. But in the end he was running out of partners and had to take one chance too many. He just couldn?t get anyone to stay with him. For a change we held most of our catches.?

The Jamaicans face WIA at Shelly Bay this weekend but will be without four key players, including David Gibbs, who are heading home to watch the second Test between West Indies and Pakistan at Sabina Park.

?I?ve got a real problem and will have to get out the masons and carpenters,? said team spokesman Glenmore Barrett yesterday.

Fine Leg Byes overcame a shaky start in which five of their top six players failed to reach double figures to edge past St. David?s.

Maclaren Lowe, whose 34 was the highlight of St. David?s 112, was one of the victims of Ajit Tiwary, who finished with three for 10 off 4.2 overs. Skipper Troy Berkeley, Ishwar Naranayan and Jeff DeSilva took two wickets apiece.

When Berkeley, who struck three sixes, was out for 25, Fine Leg Byes were in trouble at 87 for eight but an unbeaten 25 by Andrew Holmes, coupled with 18 from Angus Lynn and 20 extras, sealed victory in the 33rd over.

Pick of the St. David?s attack were Stevie Trott (three for 30 from five overs) and Justin Pitcher (two for 15 from seven).