Craig Smith-inspired Fine Leg Byes handed the Commercial Cricket League title to Forties by beating leaders North Village in the final round of matches.

Forties, who trailed Village by a single point ahead of Sunday's games, made heavy work of beating bottom club Western Stars by four wickets in a low-scoring match at Shelly Bay and then held their breath before celebrating as FLB ended Village's hopes of retaining the title with a three-wicket win at the Royal Naval Field ? their sixth victory in a row in a rousing finish to their league programme.

"I'm not sure how long this team of old men will keep winning but we'll enjoy it while we can," said 54-year-old skipper Gordon Campbell after Forties clinched their first league title since 2003.

FLB claimed third spot ahead of Hamilton Parish after Parish conceded victory to West Indian Association in a nine-a-side match at Garrison Field after an appeal for a catch at the wicket was turned down, Parish refusing to return following a water break.

Village, again missing skipper Ricky Hill and all-rounder Ricky Hoyte, lost four wickets for 37 before recovering to reach 186 for seven in their 42 overs, thanks to a century partnership between Allan Walker and Rudy Smith (38), after they were sent in.

Walker's 60 included three sixes and four fours. Mike Levon boosted the total with an unbeaten 30 batting at seven.

Janak Perera and Ajit Tiwary, who pinned Village down early on, finished with respective figures of three for 35 from 11 overs and two for 24 from nine.

FLB also struggled to cope with the Village attack, struggling to 45 for four in the first 14-over session.

But big-hitting left-hander Smith, one of this season's major success stories, turned the match around with an explosive knock of 85 which included nine sixes and four fours ? he was bowled by Kevin Mallory (two for 31 from eight overs) going for his tenth six.

When Smith was out in the 27th over 40 runs were still required with only three wickets in hand but Nick Leeding (28 not out) and Ajit Tiwary (16 not out) saw FLB home in the 37th over.

Reggie Benjamin took three for 53 from ten overs while Smith chipped in with two for 63 from 13.

Said Village spokesman Wendell Lindsay: "Every time we've had a pivotal match Ricky has been away."

Forties dismissed Western Stars for 66 in the 34th over and replied with 68 for six in the 26th over.

Pace bowler Brian Holdipp, out for most of the season, claimed four for 25 from 9.5 overs while Brian Brangman took two for eight from four overs, skipper Campbell two for ten from five and Blake West two for 20 from 12.

Milford (JuJu) Waldron was Stars' top scorer with 24 ? and also their best bowler with three for 26 from 11.3 overs ? while opener Braxton Stowe provided the backbone of the Forties reply with 33 from 50 balls.

There were three father-and-son combinations in the match but it was skipper Campbell and his older son Richard who saw Forties home.

"We gave a good account of ourselves with three players under the age of 13 in our team," said Stars' skipper Chris Smith.

With football training again restricting the use of Garrison Field, WIA and Parish cut their match to 35 overs a side.

Curtis Lee (30) and Mike Burgess (25) helped Parish reach 110 before they were dismissed in the 31st over, skipper Jerry Callender claiming four for 39 from 14 overs and off-spinner Courtney Weekes three for 30 from six.

Barry Richards (32) and Patrick Hamlett (23) got WIA off to a solid start with an opening partnership of 53. Chris Clarke chipped in with an unbeaten 23 and WIA had reached 90 for four from 17 overs ? 21 runs short of victory ? when Parish failed to return after a water break.

The flashpoint came when an appeal for a catch at the wicket against Weekes was turned down. Parish completed the over and bowled another over before taking a water break and then forfeiting the points.

"Our players felt they weren't getting decisions," said Parish spokeswoman Danika Gibbons. "They decided they had had enough."

But Richards countered: "It was ridiculous ? Parish appealed for everything throughout our innings. I got fed up with all the appealing and threw my wicket away really when I could easily have got 50. I played a pre-meditated shot and kept walking."

Irving Burgess was Parish's best bowler with two for 18 from five overs.

Meanwhile, the focus switches to the first round of knockout this Sunday. Gibbons confirmed Parish would play their first-round match away to Stars at St. John's Field even though they defaulted a league match there two weeks ago.

Holders Forties have a bye in the top half of the draw while in the bottom half Jamaican Association take on Village and WIA host FLB.