Hard-hitting left-hander Barry Richards sent a warning to Commercial Cricket League leaders North Village ahead of their showdown this weekend by scoring a chanceless century to guide West Indian Association to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Western Stars.

Village, who lead WIA by eight points, were in equally dominant form, beating Fine Leg Byes by 90 runs, while Forties remained a distant third by beating St. David?s by nine wickets, thanks to a seven-wicket haul by medium pacer Blake West and an unbeaten 66 by acting skipper Braxton Stowe.

Opener Richards? unbeaten 107, which included four sixes and 14 fours, was the first century by a Commercial player this season and helped WIA gallop to victory at Shelly Bay at more than seven-and-a-half runs an over. Richards? last century came in 2002 when he struck 106 not out against Devonshire Stars at Garrison Field.

An unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 109 between Wayne Campbell and Shimori Gilbert helped Western Stars post a competitive total of 192 for four but Stars? bowlers had little answer as Richards and fellow left-hander Patrick Hamlett, whose 60 included eight fours and a six, put their attack to the sword with a first-wicket stand of 110.

Richards, who began quietly, was in imperious form after reaching his 50, adding 70 for the second wicket with an unusually subdued Reginald Pitcher whose contribution to the partnership was just five.

Kent Todd and Malcolm Woodley each scored 28 for Stars who slipped to 83 for four before Campbell, who hit seven fours and a six in his unbeaten 61, and Gilbert, with 40 not out, led a spirited recovery against a WIA attack weakened by the absence of Junior Watts, who was away on a police course, and all-rounder Ricky Hoyte, who was unavailable.

Stan Francis was WIA?s most successful bowler with two for 28 from nine overs.

Richards said team spirit was high ahead of this Sunday?s crucial match against Village at Shelly Bay. A Village victory would stretch their lead to 18 points and virtually guarantee them the title while a win for WIA would put them two points clear of their rivals and set up a nail-biting finish to the season.

Skipper Richards, who gave his first chance after he had reached his 100, admitted he was a little nervous when he went in to bat.

?I made up my mind to settle early and didn?t start hitting till I had passed 50. It was an innings of drives and ?swashbuckles?,? he joked yesterday.

Stars? skipper Allan Brangman, who took one for 49 from seven overs, was disappointed with the result.

?I felt we should have defended our total but our bowlers were in disarray. Bad fielding and dropped catches let us down.? Village, whose 100 percent record was spoiled when their first match against Fine Leg Byes was controversially abandoned because of rain, made no mistake against their rivals on a grassy strip at Southampton Oval, posting 219 for eight and then dismissing FLB for 129 in 30.5 overs. Andre Burgess, batting at No. 8, topscored for Village with an unbeaten 47 in his first knock of the season and featured in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 50 with Reggie Benjamin (20 not out). Other useful contributions came from Mike Young (34), Ricky Hill (26), David Scraders (24) and Ernest McCallan (22).

Jeff DeSilva, who took two for 25, topscored for FLB with 35 while Troy Berkeley marked his farewell performance for the club before leaving for the United States by making 22 and taking one for 25 from 10 overs.

Opening bowler Chris Troskie was the pick of the FLB attack with three for 63 from 10 while leg-break bowler Nick Cardinez took two for 32, including the prize scalp of Hill. Fast bowler Chris Caisey and Hill led the Village bowling with respective figures of three for 36 from 10.5 overs and three for 32 from eight while Clarkie Darrell took two for 20 from seven. ?There were a couple of close decisions and at least one clear caught behind that went against us,? said FLB spokesman Ishwar Narayanan. ?No complaints though ? all in all, it was a good game.?

He added: ?Purely from a cricketing perspective, I believe the Commercial League is more than just fun cricket because I see good-quality players opting to play in the league. I would only hope that at some point, some amount of umpiring neutrality is introduced.?

West, who took only one wicket in his opening five-over spell, returned to claim six in his second spell of four overs, finishing with figures of seven for 30 after twice being on a hat-trick as Forties dismissed St. David?s for 123 at Lord?s. Brian Holdipp took two for 29.

St. David?s, who won the toss, owed their total to three of their top four batsmen, Jonathan Denbrook making 37, Jahson Smith 36 and Mikkail Crockwell 26.

Stowe stroked 11 boundaries in his 66 while Harold Minors made 37 as the pair added 102 for the first wicket to set up the nine-wicket victory in 22 overs.