the top of the Commercial Cricket League on Sunday when a player's refusal to bat cost Safeguard Security the game against West Indian Association.

PHC, the defending champions, ended a run of two successive defeats by crushing St Michael by nine wickets to renew their title challenge while Devonshire Stars gained their first victory of the season at the expense of a weakened Sandys Sports Club.

Village, who shared the wooden spoon with Sandys after winning only once in their first season last year, have notched up four victories from their opening five matches -- losing only to WIA -- and now lead Forties and WIA by five points with PHC a further five points behind.

David Scraders (41) and Elliott Pitcher (38) gave Village a flying start at Shelly Bay with an opening stand of 61 against 10-man Forties on Sunday but the introduction of medium pacers Gary Edwards and Allan Lee put the brake on the scoring rate and Village were held to 165 for eight in their 42 overs.

Edwards took four for 37 in 16 overs while Lee's 11 overs brought him three for 33.

Medium pacer Donville Yarde, who finished with four for 37 from 11 overs, rocked Forties by claiming two wickets in the first over and picked up two more wickets as Forties slumped to 37 for four.

Skipper Gordon Campbell (27) and Mark Melvin cautiously lifted the total to 75 but Forties' hopes of saving the match evaporated when Campbell was run out in the 23rd over by a direct 45-yard throw from Mike Levon at long-off as he tried to complete a second run.

Melvin was last out for 33, Forties subsiding to 98 all out and losing for the first time this season by 67 runs.

Safeguard Security twice had WIA on the ropes at St David's but still contrived to lose the match, which began an hour late, by eight runs.

Sent in on a well-watered pitch, WIA were reeling at 65 for seven but a patient unbeaten innings of 90, which contained four sixes and seven fours, by Andy Boyce and knocks of 30 apiece from Patrick Hamlett and Junior Watts lifted WIA to 182 for eight.

Safeguard were within sight of victory at 173 for five but a collapse in the fading light saw them lose four wickets for the addition of one run.

When Harold Minors was ninth out on the stroke of 8 p.m. Alex Walker was due in to join skipper Paul Field at the crease but Walker refused to bat -- not because of the light but, as Field learned afterwards, because he had been asked to bat low down in the order.

A despondent Field was forced to concede the match but WIA skipper Jerry Callender said later he would have accepted a draw if Walker had appeared at the crease as the umpires were about to offer the light to the batsmen.

PHC made light of their task after dismissing St Michael for 131 at PHC Stadium.

Dennis Bell led the way, cracking three sixes and 12 fours, in his 74. Fellow opener William Minors, who began the season with three explosive half centuries, was in no mood for fireworks this time, contenting himself with one four and 23 singles in an unbeaten 27 as PHC reached 136 for one in 26.3 overs.

Braxton Stowe, a match winner for Forties last season, has joined PHC as player-coach and he had St Michael in a spin, collecting four for three in three overs. Lyle Millett took three for 26.

Sandys, hit by the absence of six regular players, batted with only nine men against Devonshire Stars at the Royal Naval Field but still rattled up 221, thanks to knocks of 64 from acting skipper Michael Corday, 53 from teenager Daniel Morgan and 46 from the ever reliable Paul Ross.

Corday struck 12 fours. Morgan hit 50 of his runs in boundaries -- seven sixes and two fours -- and featured in an opening stand of 82 with Ross.

Stars lost two wickets with only eight runs on the board but opener Kirby Grant, with two sixes and nine fours in his 70, put his side on the path to victory. Skipper Dion Ball (33 not out) and Mark Wilson (32 not out) completed the victory with an unbeaten eight-wicket stand of 33.

Alan Lamb, pick of the Stars attack with four for 53 from 13.4 overs, also contributed a valuable 31.