Spring Garden Cavaliers beat Caribbean rivals Jamaican Association at the fourth attempt this season to set up a showdown with Forties in this weekend's Commercial Cricket League Knockout Cup final at Shelly Bay.

"Bring on Cavaliers!" said Forties' injured skipper Gordon Campbell, whose side have won the KO Cup 14 times, after they defeated defending champions North Village by seven wickets.

The Jamaicans, who edged league champions Cavaliers by four wickets in the recent League Cup Twenty20 final with two balls to spare and forced losing draws in both league matches, fielded only eight players to their opponents' nine at Warren Simmons Community Field and paid the penalty for their numerical disadvantage.

Forties clinched their place in the final by beating Village with more than six overs to spare at Shelly Bay, thanks to a sparkling century partnership between Kavi Selvarajah and Ernest McCallan and a fine all-round performance by Yatin Gawas in a game that produced an astonishing 79 wides.

Having been sent in, Jamaican Association reached 98 for two after 14 overs but then subsided to 119 all out as their last five wickets tumbled for 21 runs.

Cavaliers lost four wickets in reaching their target.

David Scraders (31 from 90 balls) and Dion Ball, Jr., who struck four sixes and two fours in his 51-ball 45, gave Village a solid start with an opening stand of 80 after they had been sent in.

Maurice Steede, at number five, weighed in with four sixes and a four in his 40 from 36 balls – 32 of them from just eight balls – as Village posted a competitive 195 for six from their 40 overs.

Gawas, who was the pick of the Forties attack with two for 32 from his allotted eight overs, then opened the batting to put his side on the path to victory with 42 from 43 balls, including two fours and a six.

Selvarajah, batting at number three, stroked five fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 76 from 86 balls as he and ex-Village player McCallan, who made 36 from 48 balls, including three fours and a six, produced a match-winning third-wicket stand of 102 that lifted Forties to the brink of victory.

"The field was very lush and I thought 195 was above par," said Forties' captain Campbell, who is out for the rest of the season because of a torn Achilles tendon.

"Dion Ball and David Scraders batted carefully at first for Village, taking only 14 from the first seven overs, but then unleashed a battery of shots.

"David benefited from some loose catching. Maurice Steede hit 32 off eight in the middle of his innings but was more pedestrian at the beginning and end," said Campbell whose place at the helm was taken by medium pacer Blake West (one for 28 from eight).

"Their bowling let them down a bit but I thought our batsmen played very sensibly. They kept ahead of the run rate all the way without taking too many chances.

"Yatin got us off to a very good start and then the partnership (102) between Kavi and Mugs (McCallan) was a real gem. They never panicked when there would be three or four tight overs in a row, but would wait for the bad ball and punish it."

Left-hander Simon Jones, who has hit two centuries for Forties this season, missed the match through injury but expects to be fit for Sunday's final.

Said Jones: "Just a few stitches. Nothing serious and I will be fine to play this weekend. Looking forward to it."

Village skipper Allen Walker said: "We congratulate Forties on their fine performance. We gave it our best shot but Forties were the better team on the day.

"We posted a score of 195 which gave us an opportunity to defend.

"We were not able to put them under any real pressure throughout the match. They got a great start as they scored 111 in the first 20 overs for two wickets which allowed them in the end to coast along in reaching their target."

Sunday's KO final clashes with the first round of the Bermuda Cricket Board's month-long Twenty 20 tournament, in which the Commercial League XI will face Western Stars in a match starting at 11 a.m. at Lord's.

President Armell Thomas has called clubs to a meeting starting at 7 p.m. today to finalise preparations for the Commercial League's debut in a BCB event. The team for Sunday's opener will be selected from players from BC Allrounders, North Village and Jamaican Association.