Belmont have been crowned champions of the Evening Cricket League’s Premier Division and will face Fine Leg Byes in the semi-finals of the season-ending knockout tournament at Shelly Bay Field.

Fine Leg Byes, who won the league title the previous two seasons, could manage only fourth place this year, seven points adrift of Belmont, after the eight teams completed their 14-fixture schedule.

League runners-up The Associates get the knockout semi-finals under way next Tuesday when they take on third-placed Tuff Dogs.

Belmont, who racked up 32 points, three more than The Associates, face Fine Leg Byes 24 hours later.

Fine Leg Byes have lost the past two knockout finals — an eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of Tuff Dogs last season after a narrow defeat by The Associates in 2012.

The Second Division, also eight-strong, still has one round of matches left, but PHC, on 30 points, have already sewn up the league title.

Deloitte will finish runners-up, with Bermuda Under-17 third ahead of Blue Fever in fourth.

The Second Division knockout semi-finals will also be held on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

With evenings drawing in, all semi-finals will be 15 overs-a-side affairs.

The finals of both divisions, set for September 27, will revert to the usual Twenty20 format.

Meanwhile, the Commercial Cricket League, now reduced to only T20 games, is heading towards the knockout stage after taking a season’s break last season.

Heading into the weekend, Spring Garden Cavaliers remained unbeaten, Bailey’s Bay had lost only once — to Cavaliers — while North Village, with Dion Ball back in their ranks after leaving Devonshire Recreation Club, are finishing the season strongly.

The season began with eight teams, but the schedule had to be redone when three teams withdrew — Evening League Select, Police Reserve and St David’s.

Barry Richards, the league president, remains upbeat about the future of a competition that was started more than 40 years ago and once featured as many as ten teams playing at grounds across the Island. At present, all games are being played at Shelly Bay.

“After last season’s break, the aim was to get people playing again on Sundays,” Richards said. “It hasn’t turned out too bad. Teams have been showing up, generally, short of players sometimes, but games have been played. In the past month, though, several Sundays have been rained out.”