Chef Johnny Simoes, who missed out on Forties' championship-winning season through a breakdown in communications, dished it out to his former Commercial Cricket League team-mates by hitting an obdurate half century to help guide St. David's to a thrilling last-over victory at Lord's.

It was the second successive defeat for faltering Forties, who lost to West Indian Association by four wickets the previous week after sewing up the league title before Cup Match. Forties ended the league programme seven points clear of WIA, who finished runners-up for the second season running.

Elsewhere, Devonshire Stars pipped Centurions for fifth place by a point with an emphatic 82-run victory over them while bottom club North Village, with just two five-point draws from 12 matches to show for their efforts, and third-placed Jamaican Association settled for a share of the points after rain left the pitch at Sea Breeze Oval unplayable.

"We made several attempts to get the match under way but it was to no avail," said Village spokesman Wendell Lindsay.

Meanwhile, league officials this week agreed to postpone the start of the knockout tournament, won last season by Jamaican Association, until September 7 because of Sunday's day-night limited-overs match at the National Sports Centre featuring West Indies captain Brian Lara, who is being brought to the Island by the Eastern Counties Cricket Association.

Simoes, from the Indian state of Goa, who has been in Bermuda for ten years and is about to move to the Riddell's Bay Golf & Country Club after five years as a chef at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, said he sent several messages through a former team-mate telling Forties' skipper Gordon Campbell that he was available again for selection this season.

In frustration, Simoes joined St. David's, unaware that his messages had failed to reach Campbell - and on Sunday the opener, barracked by his own players for his Boycott-like approach early on, made Forties pay dearly by spicing his knock of 73 spanning 39 overs with nine boundaries as St. David's avenged an earlier seven-wicket by snatching victory with three balls to spare in their first game of the season on their home ground.

"I just wanted to show Gordon that I can play," said Simoes, who hopes to rejoin Forties next season.

Added Campbell: "Johnny was obviously the anchor of the whole innings and took a lot of stick early from his supporters and team-mates for slow scoring but silenced his critics by some late lusty blows.

"In retrospect, his innings was the perfect innings for them."

Campbell (two for 43) helped St. David's reach their challenging 40-over victory target of 235 - the match was reduced because of a late start - by going for 22 runs in the 31st over after feeding 17-year-old Ricky Foggo a diet of full tosses, the teenager top-scoring with 40 at No.7.

Granville Bennett, who opened with Simoes, made 26 while Brent Minors hit 29 and skipper Ernest McCallan 27 in St. David's 236 for seven.

Earlier, John Ray (two for 30) smashed six sixes and six fours in an unbeaten 96, adding 62 for the fourth wicket with Brian Brangman (35) as Forties ran up 234 for eight after being sent in on a moist pitch, the other useful contribution coming from opener Gerald Bean (20). Jason Lowe took three for 31 from nine overs.

Nine-man Centurions did well to bowl out Devonshire Stars for 150 at Shelly Bay but then tumbled to 68 all out in the 21st over.

Skipper Jeremy Leese, now out for the rest of the season, played despite later discovering during a visit to the hospital that he broke several ribs during a football match earlier in the day.

Bruce Currie, who claimed four for 20 from ten overs, and Troy Berkeley (two for 36 from 12 overs) were Centurions' best bowlers as Stars were dismissed in the 38th over after former Warwick player Daniel Caines made 39, Fred Simons 30 and Antoine Greene 21.

Caines was also on the mark with the ball, taking three for 33 from ten overs, while Worrell Bean provided admirable support with three for 16 from 5.4 overs. Ishwar Narayanan was top scorer with 17.

"It was a good effort to keep them to 150 but unfortunately we couldn't capitalise on that with the bat, losing our top order relatively cheaply," said Hong Kong-bound Leese, who was forced to bat one-handed because of his rib injuries.

Even though he is due to leave the Island in October, Leese said he was confident newcomers Centurions would return for a second season in 2004.