Chris Clarke, a 44-year-old police inspector, survived the heat to hammer 136 from 100 balls and mastermind West Indian Association’s emphatic 94-run League Cup victory over St. David’s at Lord’s.

Clarke, unleashing a dazzling array of cuts and drives to put the St. David’s attack under the cosh, reached his 50 in 36 balls, his 100 in 76 balls and completed his century before partner Reginald Pitcher had reached his 50, the pair adding 171 for the first wicket.

Clarke, who batted for 31 overs, clubbing 17 fours and five sixes, as WIA piled up a massive 322 for six in their allotted 42 overs, said last night: “I was really struggling after just seven overs in the heat.

“In the end I was too tired to carry on and was caught behind by the keeper who’d dropped me earlier when I was on 60.”

Now Clarke, who had never before scored more than 70, has set his sights on beating Lionel Cann’s Commercial Cricket League record of 165 for St. David’s against North Village at Lord’s five years ago, pledging: “I’m going to start doing some training to get fit!”

Clarke said he would dedicate his maiden century — among the top ten highest recorded in the Commercial League — to his “hero”, fellow Bajan Colin Blades, the former national team captain, who had ribbed him over lunch on Friday about his lack of runs this season.

Sunday’s 550-run League Cup feast followed the Premier Division match on the same strip the previous day that produced 614 runs, including irrepressible Cann’s double century in St. David’s win over Flatts.

The victory keeps alive WIA’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals after losing their opening Group B match of the League Cup, headed by Hamilton Parish, but Group A has already been settled with league leaders North Village and Forties clinching their places in the last four by completing five-wicket victories over Jamaican Association and Fine Leg Byes respectively.

Western Stars gifted the points to Parish after being unable to field a team because of the wedding of club footballer Jomar Wilkinson.

While Clarke dominated the WIA innings, Pitcher hit seven fours in his 50 and other useful scores came from Richard Foulds (32), Jerry Callender (27) and Lloyd Morrison (23).

Foulds (three for 30 from four), Pitcher (three for 56 from six) and Courtney Weekes (two for 45 from six) made inroads into the St. David’s batting, highlighted by half centuries from Kameron Fox and Jahson Smith.

Fox’s 61 included eight fours and two sixes while Smith’s 59 following his century the previous week contained five fours and three sixes. Gregory Outerbridge made 27 and Grayson McCallan 24 as the East Enders’ spirited reply ended on 228 from 32 overs.

Jamaican Association gave Village a fight for their money before succumbing at Shelly Bay.

Openers Presley Millwood and Norman Godwin, who each made 32, rattled up 86 in 15 overs and Daniel Edwards struck five fours and two sixes in his 48, adding 54 for the fifth wicket with Keniek Wallen (17), before JA were pegged back and finally dismissed in 37 overs for 194.

Slow bowler Randy Smith was the pick of the Village attack with four for 12 from three overs while six-over spells brought two for 25 for Dion Ball, Jr., two for 36 for match winner Ricky Hill and two for 46 for Kevin Mallory.

Former Cup Match star Hill’s unbeaten 56, which contained three fours and two sixes, coupled with Ernest McCallan’s 30 and Rudy Smith’s 25, saw Village home with 15 balls to spare, Hill and McCallan featuring in a crucial fifth-wicket stand of 61 to take the game away from JA.

“Jamaican Association put together a challenging total but Village dug in and paced themselves well,” said Village spokesman Wendell Lindsay whose team can clinch the league title by beating Fine Leg Byes on Sunday.

Forties featured three father-son combinations as they eased their way to victory with eight overs to spare against Fine Leg Byes, who began with ten men and ended with eight as two players had to go to work, at the Warren Simmons Community Field.

FLB got off to a flyer, reaching 53 for one in eight overs, opener Indika Perera making 33 and Jeff DeSilva adding 41 at No. 4 with three fours and two sixes.

But their 38.1-over total of 151 on a high-scoring ground was never likely to be enough, although a mid-order wobble, in which three wickets fell for the addition of eight runs, caused some jitters in the Forties camp.

All seven bowlers used by Forties featured in the wickets column, Braxton Stowe taking two for seven from 3.1 overs and Dylan DeSilva two for 33 from six.

Opener Granville Bennett played the pivotal role in Forties’ 154 for five, hitting seven fours in his 50 and featuring in a first-wicket stand of 42 with Harold Minors and 50 for the third wicket with David Campbell (21) before FLB snapped up three quick wickets.

Stowe (19 not out) and David DeSilva (27 not out) steadied the ship after the total slipped from 97 for two to 105 for five, adding 49 in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand. Skipper Troy Berkeley took two for 14 from six.

“I won the toss and put them in but I thought it might have been a mistake when they raced to 53 for one in eight overs. Then the wickets started to tumble to some good bowling and some good catches,” said Forties’ relieved skipper Gordon Campbell.