Medium pacers Rudy Smith and Reggie Benjamin claimed eight wickets between them in ten overs as North Village snatched a seven-run victory over rivals Forties in a low-scoring Memorial Trophy match, the Commercial Cricket League's traditional season opener, at Southampton Oval.

Smith snapped up five for 12 from his allotted five overs while skipper Benjamin bagged three for 12, also from five, as Forties tumbled to 60 all out in 17 overs chasing Village's modest 24-over total of 67 in a game scheduled for 40 overs a side.

Village's victory was a fitting one as their former player/manager Wendell Lindsay, who died aged 54 in February, was instrumental in providing the trophy on his club's behalf four years ago in memory of all deceased Commercial League players.

Village and Forties have so far dominated the annual fixture, which pits the previous season's league champions against the knockout tournament winners, each winning it twice while Jamaican Association won it the other time.

"This was not a great advertisement for the Commercial League," Forties' skipper Gordon Campbell admitted afterwards.

"But I think both teams were a little short of practice."

To be fair, the Oval's variable bounce never made batting easy.

Apart from a second-wicket stand of 30 between Mike Levon, Jr. (ten) and Allan Walker (17) Village, having been sent in, succumbed to a combination of spin and swing against a youthful-looking Forties side whose four teenagers included 15-year-old Aaron Logie, son of the national coach.

Yatin Gawas took three for nine and David DeSilva three for 11 while slow bowler Braxton Stowe, who later nearly steered Forties to victory, took two for 13, all from five overs apiece.

Apart from Stowe, whose battling 30 from 32 balls with six fours accounted for half of Forties' total before he was ninth out, only Dylan DeSilva (11) reached double figures as Village recovered from a seemingly hopeless position to avenge defeat in last year's match at Shelly Bay, slow bowler Kevin Mallory chipping in with two for nine from fours.

Benjamin admitted he thought his side's total would prove to be inadequate.

"I said to myself our modest 67 was not enough. I never said so to my teammates. All I said to them was, 'Let's take our catches and we will see what will happen'.

"I think Rudy bowled very well for his five wickets, especially the prize wicket of Dr. Campbell ¿ that was the icing on the cake."

Campbell, bowled off his pads for a first-ball duck, praised his opponents afterwards, saying: "With their backs to the wall, Village produced two great spells of accurate pace bowling from Benjie and Rudy Smith to take them to an unlikely victory.

"You have to hand it to them. They never quit fighting. We were not overconfident but we just never got our batting going apart from Braxton, who was unfortunately out with victory in sight."

Campbell also praised his youngers, Logie, Dylan DeSilva, William White and Daniel Andrade, whose father Oscar has quit playing to become an umpire, saying: "They all fielded with great maturity which helped to keep the pressure on and restrict Village."