Division matches have hit out at the BFA's action.

North Village were last night holding an emergency meeting to consider their response after soccer's ruling body declared the whole of this weekend's football schedule void following several incidents of violence on and off the field.

And Cecil Lewis, president of a Dandy Town team with one of the better disciplinary records -- they have had just one player sent off this season -- panned the BFA for costing his team money as well as an outside chance of the league title.

The cancellations mean that league leaders and defending champions Vasco now need only a point from their final two games against Boulevard and Devonshire Colts to retain their crown -- an outcome that has upset Village and Town officials.

North Village president, Rudolph Hollis, said yesterday: "We're obviously very concerned, although I'm not really in a position to say too much. This is a significant issue and our management committee will be meeting and replying to the Association.

"I'm definitely against the action they're taking, but I'm not against their philosophy. The main complaint is that they did not consult the clubs before they did this.'' He said he thought it was "doubtful at such short notice '' whether the club could get the BFA to change their decision in time for the game to go ahead on Sunday -- or even be rescheduled.

But, he added: "We want to go back to the Association and see if this cannot be addressed in a different manner. I do have some formal recommendations that I want to put to them but I want to discuss them with my committee first.'' Lewis was more outspoken. He said: "We pay the BFA up front. I cannot get my money back. We pay x-amount per game -- you've got your money, what about mine? "Even when our team is playing away a lot of the fans and members would return to the club to celebrate.

"I would definitely want to see this competition completed. I think it is so terrible they can make such a decision. The way they have handled it leaves a lot to be desired.'' He felt any punishments should be handed out to players involved in the violent incidents and not the game as a whole.

Village and Dandy Town, third and second respectively in the league, had both been six points behind Vasco with three games to play.

With the deduction of one round of fixtures they are left relying on two defeats for Vasco and vastly improving their own goal differences to stand any chance at all. Complicating matters is the fact that the pair, opponents in an FA Cup semi-final last Tuesday, meet each other in their penultimate game on Sunday week.

At the other end of the table there is irony and perhaps a little justice, that one of the games consigned to the waste bin this Sunday featured two of the clubs most responsible for the BFA's action -- Devonshire Cougars and Boulevard.

Of course, Boulevard, whose player Haile Outerbridge finally brought matters to a head with his bottle attack on referee Anthony Mouchette in the FA Cup semi-final against Devonshire Colts last weekend, might be thankful for the cancellation: a Cougars victory in that game would have put them under greater pressure to get a point from their two remaining fixtures against high-flying Vasco and Dandy Town.

Cougars, for their part involved in undoubtedly the most shameful episode of the winter when Swan brothers Ryan and Wendell took their tempers out on the unfortunate grounded Dwight Basden, now know that they have to beat already relegated Hamilton Parish next Thursday and Wolves by some considerable margin to avoid joining Parish in the Second Division next season.