St. David's handed leaders Hemisphere Leg Trappers their first defeat of the Commercial Cricket League season on Sunday to throw the title race wide open but fears are growing that as many as three clubs may fail to stay the course and complete their fixtures.

St. David's shock win by 23 runs at Lord's has slashed Leg Trappers' lead to just two points over persistent challengers Jamaican Association -- winners by default over Police Recreation Club at Shelly Bay -- with two matches left.

Third-placed North Village also won by default over Public Transportation Board, who turned up with only six players at Spice Valley Middle School, while Forties moved up to fourth as they completed the double, coasting to a nine-wicket win over seven-man West End Warriors at the Royal Naval Field.

League officials are keeping a close eye on Police, PTB and West End Warriors as they continue to struggle to raise sides.

Not a single Police player turned up on Sunday, defaulting for the second week in a row, while PTB went without a game for the third successive week. PTB beat Police by default the previous week while the week before that neither PTB nor St. David's could field the minimum seven players and the game was called off.

PTB skipper Dennis Robinson promised to "give it one more try'' on Sunday when their opponents are Watford Sports Club.

"I enjoy the game but it's embarrassing when we turn up with only six players,'' he said yesterday.

Police have already quit the league once this season but a change of heart -- and a new captain -- saw them continue after defaulting their second match.

Dawson Dates took over as interim skipper when Jim Walters stepped down before handing the captaincy to Patrick Waithe.

St. David's meanwhile have fired off an official protest to the league over the outcome of their previous match, which Jamaican Association maintain they won by one wicket in a pulsating finish at Lord's.

A letter to league secretary Dave Carruthers, signed by St. David's County Cricket Club secretary Rosmin Richardson, claims the scorebooks were falsified.

"... a good day of cricket was tainted by incorrect scorekeeping,'' she said.

The dispute is now likely to be settled by the Commercial League's executive committee.

Allrounder George Cannonier was St. David's hero on Sunday after the match was switched to Lord's from Garrison Field and reduced to 40 overs a side, smashing his second successive half century and claiming four wickets as Leg Trappers suffered a stunning collapse.

Cannonier, who retired hurt on 55 against the Jamaicans the previous week, came in at number six and hammered five fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 62 as St. David's reached 153 for eight after opener Lyndon Jackson made 21.

Leg Trappers were left to rue a missed chance -- Gary Knight dropped a sitter off Cannonier at mid-off before he had scored.

There still seemed no cause for alarm, however, as Damien Henderson guided Leg Trappers to 105 for two with a half century but left-arm medium pacer Cannonier and skipper George O'Brien teamed up to trigger a collapse in which the last eight wickets tumbled for the addition of 25 runs, St. David's claiming victory in the penultimate over.

Cannonier's marathon 19 overs earned him four for 36 while slow medium O'Brien snapped up five for 17 in 7.1 overs as St. David's avenged an earlier seven-wicket defeat at the same venue. Henderson's 54 included seven fours and two sixes. Earlier he shared six wickets with Noel Capewell and David Hosier.

A 2.00 p.m. start enabled West End Warriors to scrape together seven players in a game cut to 35 overs a side and it took Forties 31 overs to dismiss the Warriors for 113 after they were held up by a third-wicket stand of 64 between Vernon Eve (35) and Allan Gilbert (18).

Skipper Gordon Campbell took three for 28 and Hugh Hollis two for 14. Eve claimed the only wicket when David Hyland played on at 20 but an unbroken stand of 94 between Hollis and Dale Roberson saw Forties home in the 18th over. Hollis hit seven fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 62 not out while Roberson finished on 32 not out.