Big-hitting Anthony Brathwaite rode his luck to smash an unbeaten 70 as Spring Garden Cavaliers overcame the first-ball dismissal of former Cup Match star Ricky Hill to beat North Village by five wickets and keep their hopes alive of defending their Commercial Cricket League title.Jamaican Association also secured a five-wicket victory, bouncing back from defeat against league leaders Forties the previous Sunday to see off bottom club BC Allrounders.Village scored at almost eight runs an over off their final 12 overs in a match reduced to 40 overs a side at Garrison Field, skipper Allen Walker dominating his side’s 214 for five with ten fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 91.Dion Ball, Jr. and Randy Smith chipped in with 30 apiece and Reggie Benjamin, a century-maker the previous week, made an unbeaten 22.Trevor Haynes was the pick of the Cavaliers attack with three for 44 from nine overs.Opener Hill was bowled for a duck by Rudy Smith, who finished with three for 85 from 14 overs, with only one run on the board against his former club but ever-reliable Craig Smith, who struck 12 fours and a six in his 67, and James Pace (23) took control before Brathwaite made butter-fingered Village pay for their profligacy in the field he was dropped nine times, according to one teammate by hitting three sixes and seven fours in his 70 as he and newly-arrived Barbadian accountant Ricardo Waldron (20 not out) added an unbroken 58 for the sixth wicket to ease their side home with seven overs to spare.“We posted a good total to defend but Craig Smith and Anthony Brathwaite really came out to punish our bowlers by dispatching the ball to all corners of the field,” said Village Skipper Walker.“However, we did not help our chances as we dropped a number of catches which would have put more pressure on Spring Garden.”Added Walker: “Spring Garden were anticipating that we would score less than 150 after the 28th over with the total at 119. But we were able to score an additional 95 runs in 12 overs.”Ian Coke wrecked BC Allrounders’ innings at Shelly Bay, where he bagged four for eight from five overs, to lay the foundation for third-placed Jamaican Association’s comfortable victory.Michael Campbell (three for 48 from ten) and Keniek Wallen (two for 44 from nine) also got among the wickets as BC Allrounders were dismissed in the 37th over for 138, only Carlton Smith (35), Shejuan Swan (34) and Mitchell DeShield (25) offering any real resistance.The Jamaicans completed their victory in 37 overs, wicketkeeper Wayne Locke leading the way with an unbeaten 37. Other useful contributions came from Wallen (24), Alleyne Francis (21) and Campbell and Coke, who made 20 apiece. Swan took two for 61 from 14 overs.Despite a fourth successive defeat for his side at the halfway point of the league programme, BC Allrounders’ spokesman Kenneth Smith said: “The spirit’s still there. I am confident we can turn things around in the second half of the season.”Jamaican Association team manager Glenmore Barrett said: “It was a better effort from my boys this week.“We had some rough edges to iron out earlier and it took time to streamline our side. But it looks good from here on in. We never give up.”The league programme takes a back seat this weekend as the Twenty20 League Cup swings into action with two matches at Shelly Bay.Forties face Cavaliers in the preliminary round at 12.30pm with the winners facing North Village in the first semi-final at 3.30pm.It will be the third meeting between Forties and Cavaliers already this season with honours even so far.Cavaliers crushed Forties in the Memorial Trophy in early May but Forties gained immediate revenge by beating their rivals the following Sunday in the opening round of league matches.Forties currently lead Cavaliers by ten points in the league and the teams are set to face each other again in a crucial return match on June 26 at Garrison Field.League Cup defending champions –Jamaican Association have been drawn against BC Allrounders in the second League Cup semi-final on August 7 with the final pencilled in for the same afternoon at Shelly Bay.