Allan Douglas Jr’s on-again, off-again transfer from Cleveland County to St David’s has finally gone through.

The all-rounder, who also plays football for St David’s, is expected to make his debut in today’s Belco Cup semi-final against defending champions Southampton Rangers at Somerset Cricket Club.

The decision to go through with the transfer came as a surprise to Cleveland after it appeared Douglas had given up on the idea of moving to their Eastern Counties rivals when he turned out for two Twenty20 matches for Cleveland and the opening 50-over league match against St David’s last weekend.

However, he remained unsettled despite knocks of 72 in the T20 semi-final defeat to Southampton and 42 in the league opener, also in a losing cause, after which he decided to put the transfer in motion.

“After the game on Sunday he went to Courtney Trott [the Cleveland secretary] and got him to sign the papers,” Carlton Smith, the Cleveland president, said. “The transfer forms can be signed by the president or the secretary.”

Douglas also claimed four wickets in that match as St David’s posted 291 for nine and then dismissed Cleveland for just 113 in just 24.1 overs.

“He knew what we were working with before the game, that it was going to be a challenge and that there was pressure on him as one of our main batsmen,” Smith added.

It has not been a good build-up for Cleveland to their Belco Cup semi-final against Bailey’s Bay at Lord’s today.

There still appears to be some ill feeling between the two teams over last season’s Eastern Counties match when time-wasting tactics by champions Cleveland cost Bailey’s Bay victory in their controversial first-round encounter at St David’s. Cleveland were initially stripped of the title and then reinstated as champions.

An incident in their T20 semi-final two weeks ago at the same venue resulted in Cleveland batsman Bryce Daniels getting a one-year ban from both his club and the Bermuda Cricket Board for a Level 4 breach of the Code of Conduct.

After his dismissal Daniels casually walked around the boundary to a group of Bailey’s Bay fans and had an altercation with Burton Outerbridge, a Bay registered player but a supporter that day who had been making comments to him.

The BCB confirmed yesterday that Daniels had been banned for one year for his actions. The BCB also confirmed that Douglas is eligible to play for St David’s “with immediate effect” after obtaining a late transfer.

Under new BCB rules a player can obtain a late transfer if he has played up to three matches with his club.

Last season, batsman Dennico Hollis transferred back to Bailey’s Bay after playing one match for Somerset Cricket Club.

Smith said Cleveland will now put the Douglas transfer saga behind them and move on this season, starting with today’s semi-final when they hope to advance to a first Belco Cup final tomorrow.

Coach Clay Smith, who won the cup with St George’s when it was the Camel Cup, may turn out today to fill the void left by Douglas.

“In the last two games he was our highest scorer so we will miss his batting,” the president said of Douglas, who has now lost his eligibility to play for Cleveland in the Eastern Counties.

“The coach is dusting off his clothes and may come out on Saturday while Aaron [Adams] is coming back out, although he won’t play this weekend. Guys just have to step up and make a name for themselves on the weekend.

“We had a strategy session last night after training on how to deal with Bay and their batsmen and that’s one thing Clay is good at.”

Cleveland will be the underdogs in this competition, which has been won nine times by Rangers.

• Two matches in the BF&M Player Development League will be played today, with Bermuda Under-17 taking on North Village at Shelly Bay Field and Devonshire Recreation Club at home to Western Zone.

Both matches will start at 1.30pm.

Also, Warwick Workman’s Club will meet St George’s in the only First Division match today at Southampton Oval.