at the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control's match and scheduling committee's recent ruling on outstanding limited-overs matches, which had a bearing on the final standings and thus quarter-final places for this weekend.

Both teams had their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals from their respective groups hinge on the ruling on two outstanding matches -- St.

David's v Police and Somerset v Flatts -- which were not played on August 2.

In each case the committee "concluded that the causes of these cancellations -- unsuitable pitch conditions and, in one case, the breakdown of machinery -- were directly attributable to the home team which, accordingly, was declared in default''.

And while St. David's lost the points to Police after failing to have their pitch ready, Flatts picked up two vital points off Somerset to leap two places ahead of Hamilton Parish and Willow Cuts to finish fourth in the Gold Division. Flatts now join winners Devonshire Rec., Bailey's Bay and Somerset in the quarter-finals from their group.

The loss of the points by St. David's means that Southampton claim the fourth place from the Green Division, joining winners Police, Western Stars and Cleveland in this Saturday's quarter-finals.

The four matches see Devonshire taking on Southampton, Police at home to Flatts, Bailey's Bay meeting Cleveland and Western Stars playing Somerset. The semifinals are scheduled for next Saturday with the winners of Devonshire-Southampton playing either Stars or Somerset and Police or Flatts taking on Bailey's Bay or Cleveland. The final is slated for September 19.

The match and scheduling committee also awarded Devonshire the points for their Open League match with St. David's, which was not played on July 26. But while teams usually get at least 14 points -- two bonus points for bowling out their opponents -- for a win, Devonshire have been awarded just 12 points.

Devonshire move four places up the tables to sixth.

England and the West Indies have brought together some of their top Test cricketers of the past two decades to kick off the International Cricket Masters Tournament in Barbados at the end of October for players over 35.

Plans for regular worldwide tournaments between the former Test players were finalised recently in London and the first of those matches will take place in Barbados on October 30 and 31 in the form of two one-day matches between the West Indies and England. The teams will be captained by Clive Lloyd and Mike Brearley, two of the greatest captains of the modern era.

Roland Butcher, Barbados-born but a former England Test batsman, is the chairman of the organisers, the newly-formed International Cricket Masters (ICM).

For the inaugural matches, expected to be shown on British television, Brearley's team includes the likes of Dennis Amiss, Phil Edmunds, Derek Randall, John Emburey, Roland Butcher and Derek Underwood, while the West Indies team will include the recently retired Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards as well as Collis King, Joel Garner, Alvin Kallicharran and Andy Roberts.

Butcher said the tournament would enable people to see great former players engaged in serious cricket and, in the long term, profits could be used to assist former professionals who had fallen on hard times. There is also talk of an over-35 World Cup.

The teams for the Barbados matches are: West Indies XI: Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge, Alvin Kallicharran, Collis King, Seymour Nurse, Andy Roberts, Viv Richards, Joel Garner, Michael Findlay, Charlie Griffith, John Shepherd, Vanburn Holder, Ranji Nanan.

England XI: Michael Brearley, Dennis Amiss, Phil Edmunds, Derek Randall, John Emburey, Roland Butcher, Derek Underwood, Wayne Larkins, Clive Radley, John Lever, Bob Woolmer, Paul Allott, David Bairstow, Geoff Arnold.