Ricky Hoyte-inspired West Indian Association walloped Fine Leg Byes by six wickets to whittle North Village?s healthy Commercial Cricket League lead down to eight points at the halfway point of the season ? and gave notice they will fight every inch of the way for the title.

Elsewhere, Forties eased back up into third spot with a seven-wicket win over nine-man Western Stars while defending champions Jamaican Association, who have lost two key players, made hard work of beating bottom club St. David?s in a match in which both sides played two short.

WIA?s emphatic victory with 12 overs to spare at Shelly Bay avenged two narrow defeats at the hands of FLB last season ? by six runs and one-wicket ? and almost certainly marked the farewell match of one of the league?s most colourful characters, FLB skipper Troy Berkeley, who is leaving the island to get married and live in the United States.

?I know our team will miss Troy and I think the league will as well,? said team-mate Angus Lynn.

?He?ll give anyone a hard time ? team-mates, opponents and even spectators. He?s a great character and, winning or losing, he?s always having fun.

?I wish there were more like him in Bermuda cricket,? added Lynn.

Berkeley?s seven overs of tidy medium pace went for only 20 runs but there was no stopping WIA who cantered to their winning target of 173 at almost a run a ball. It was FLB?s first defeat of the season.

Hoyte, a former Barbados wicketkeeper who plans to spend the rest of the summer in Bermuda, took three for 62 in 14 overs as FLB were dismissed off the final ball for 172 and then helped polish FLB off by stroking eight fours in an unbeaten 47.

FLB, who lost the toss, struggled to 33 for three at the first water break but Ishwar Narayanan, who topscored with 40, shared a useful fourth-wicket partnership with Bruce Currie (25), Russell Dey made 20 and Chris Troskie helped the total past 150 by making 26 at number ten.

Jerry Callender (three for 32 from eight overs) and Junior Watts (two for 25 from ten) shared the bowling honours with Hoyte, who has also been plying his trade in the Evening League.

WIA lost opener Patrick Hamlett for a duck but skipper Barry Richards, who smashed four sixes and two fours in his 45, added 78 for the second wicket with Dave Greenidge whose 58 included two sixes and three fours.

Greenidge then put on 53 for the third wicket with Hoyte, his former high school team-mate in Barbados, before Chris Clarke (18 not out ? four fours) joined Hoyte to seal victory.

Asked for any title predictions, Richards would only say: ?We?re taking it one game at a time.?

WIA?s next opponents this Sunday are Forties, who will be without skipper Gordon Campbell for the next two matches.

Blake West and David DeSilva, who both got tremendous swing, teamed up to dismiss Western Stars for 98 in the 33rd over at the Royal Naval Field.

West claimed the day?s best figures of five for 45 in 16 overs while DeSilva took three for 30 in 12.3, Maurice Lowe providing the only resistance with four boundaries in his 42 for Stars.

Gerald Bean (29) and Brian Brangman (21) gave Forties a firm foundation with an opening stand of 51. Although two more wickets fell, Braxton Stowe (14 not out) and 17-year-old David Campbell, whose services were not required by Social Club, sealed victory in the 19th over, Campbell finishing on 18 not out. Allan Brangman took two for 31 from nine overs.

Jamaican Association remained in fifth place despite gaining their second win of the season, but have lost fast bowler David Gibbs, who has cut short his return to the Commercial team by returning to his former club Somerset. The Jamaicans had already suffered a major blow when all-rounder Donovan Livingston left to rejoin Police recently.

St. David?s could muster only 88 in 20.2 overs at Garrison Field, despite an opening stand of 41 between Aaron Crockwell (35) and Ajuan Lamb (11), who later picked up two for 16 in five overs and two for nine in three respectively.

Skipper Junior Lindo was the most successful Jamaican bowler with three for seven from four overs while Simroy Crosdale took two for 32 from eight and Chris Daley two for 11 from 2.2.

The Jamaicans almost paid the price for shuffling their batting order, losing three wickets with the total 15, but eventually reached 92 for six in the 21st over, the club?s new wicketkeeper Marvin Simpson topscoring with 27.