Hamilton Parish have been given a reprieve and handed one final chance to stay in the Commercial Cricket League after defaulting a second consecutive match.

League rules call for expulsion following two defaults and automatic disqualification the following season.

But the league's committee said they were prepared to be lenient with Parish - who earlier in the season sailed into next month's League Cup semi-finals but have been struggling for players recently - provided they gave a firm commitment to honour the rest of their 2008 fixtures.

Last week club spokesman Ernest Lathan insisted after Parish defaulted to Spring Garden Cavaliers: "We're not pulling out of the league."

Club secretary Alvin Baker said last night that his team would hold a meeting this week to discuss the crisis.

Ricky Hill said he was one of six players - one fewer than the number required to start a match - who turned up for Sunday's scheduled match against Jamaican Association at Garrison Field.

Parish lost a key player when Hill's brother, Corey, ruled himself out of the remainder of the Commercial League season by turning out for Bailey's Bay against St. David's in Saturday's Eastern Counties match at Lord's ¿ a game in which he failed to take a wicket in three overs and made one not out as Bay were thrashed by 78 runs.

Meanwhile, Forties remained top of the league standings following a four-wicket win over St. David's at Lords but Jamaican Association stayed hot on their heels after the Parish default and there were also contrasting victories for two other title-chasing clubs, Spring Garden Cavaliers and North Village, whose skipper Reggie Benjamin was his side's hero with four wickets and an unbeaten 79.

A five-wicket haul by Jeff DeSilva and a half-century by Dave Greenidge set up Cavaliers' emphatic seven-wicket victory over Ernst & Young at Warren Simmons Community Field.

Skipper Karunakar Kaushik topscored with seven boundaries in his 44 in Ernst & Young's 38-over total of 153 and there were also useful contributions from Dhammika Jayalath (36) and Warren Simmons (20), DeSilva doing the bulk of the damage with five for 30 in nine overs. Ishwar Narayanan took two for 20 from seven and Craig Smith two for 25 from 11.

Greenidge, whose 51 included eight fours, and fellow Barbadian David Gibbons (19) put Cavaliers on the path to victory with an opening stand of 61 and although two further wickets fell at 93 Smith and DeSilva (12 not out) added an unbeaten 61 for the fourth wicket, Smith's 42 not out including three sixes and four fours.

In a thrilling finish at T.N. Tatem Middle School, North Village beat BC Allrounders with three wickets and two balls to spare in a game cut to 38 overs each.

Shejuan Swan cracked eight fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 80 as BC Allrounders posted a challenging 210 for eight and then took two for 39 in five overs but he couldn't prevent Village, who had been in deep trouble at 75 for five, from taking maximum points as Benjamin cut loose with five sixes and four fours in his unbeaten 79.

Benjamin, who earlier took four for 46 in nine overs, was given good support by Mike Levon (38) and Rudy Smith, who made 26 and also took two for 65 in 12.

"At one stage we had to score at least ten runs an over and the long grass didn't help," said Benjamin.

Jason Bailey made a quickfire 36 while Clinton Outerbridge made 27 and also took two for 65 from 12 while Worrell Bean bagged two for 60 in eight for BC Allrounders, whose player-coach Andre Smith said: "We had Village on the ropes at 75 for five but let it slip away. We dropped two many catches."

A rare Commercial League fixture at Lords saw Forties overhaul St. David's 188 with four and a half overs to spare in a match trimmed to 40 overs a side.

"It's a pleasure to bat on a field with such a good outfield, where you get full value for your shots," enthused winning skipper Gordon Campbell afterwards.

An 80-run third-wicket partnership between Aaron Crockwell, who struck six fours in his 44, and Gregory Outerbridge (30) put St. David's in a solid position despite being restricted to 83 for two after 23 overs, but three wickets tumbled at 119 and, despite Mikkail Crockwell's 30 at number seven, Forties gradually seized control as the East Enders tried to hurry the score along.

"It was a good, tight game but we were about 20 runs short of what we needed," said St. David's Todd Fox.

Forties' most successful bowlers were Hoyt Zuill, who claimed three for 38 from 13 overs, and Randy Simmons, who took three for 32 for seven.

Although Forties lost a wicket without a run on the board, a third-wicket stand of 67 between former Young Men's Social Club wicketkeeper Winston Simmons, whose 46 included seven fours, and Johnny Simoes (34) kept Forties ahead of the run rate.

Reggie Simoes chipped in with 24 before Gladwin Ingham (31 not out) and Randy Simmons (21 not out) clinched victory with an unbroken seven-wicket stand of 53.

Outerbridge took three for 60 in 15 overs and Jahson Smith two for 38 off seven.

"St. David's early order was tied down by some fairly tight bowling, especially by Hoyt, and almost all of our batsmen played very responsibly," added Campbell.