North Village finally broke their duck after fending off their nemesis Forties to win the Commercial Cricket League?s knockout final for the first time.

For the second week running, Village emerged victorious at Southampton Oval via the Duckworth/Lewis route, edging Forties by two wickets with five balls to spare in a pulsating finish to a rain-hit final after beating West Indian Association by 11 runs in a semi-final that ended in acrimony seven days earlier.

There was no ill-feeling in Sunday?s hard-fought final ? in which batsmen were never able to dominate ? but in the end old age, a wet ball and too many wides caught up with Forties, who had beaten Village in three previous knockout finals, including the past two seasons.

Despite losing their league title to Forties, Village fittingly ended the season as they began it, having trounced Forties by six wickets to lift the annual Memorial Trophy match in early May.

Forties, 13-time winners of the knockout, posted a competitive 186 for nine from their 40 overs on a pitch of variable bounce after being sent in before a 30-minute hold-up for rain at 4.50 p.m. left Village with a revised target set by umpire Randy Butler of 170 from 35 overs, having reached 56 for three from 14 overs before the break in play.

Forties? skipper Gordon Campbell said later that he was ?proud of my guys? while Village?s skipper Ricky Hill said his team never panicked after being set a revised target following the rain.

Hill, handicapped by painful hips, added: ?I thought it was very good match right down to the last over.

?I must first say it was a very good effort by Forties but it was a real team effort by my team.

?With the revised target after rain my team showed that it was never a panic situation. They stuck to the task and got the job done. We are very happy to win the KO trophy for the first time.?

Despite having to cope with a wet ball, Forties persevered and appeared to hold the upper hand as they reduced Village to 124 for six, as Ernest McCallan fell for 22, having earlier removed Hill for 22 when he threatened to cut loose.

But Rudy Smith (23) and Reggie Benjamin (13 not out) swung the advantage back Village?s way with a crucial seventh-wicket stand of 36 that carried them to the brink of victory.

Even though Village still needed 35 runs to win from 30 balls and another wicket fell at 162, they whittled the equation down to just three from the final over as Forties wilted.

Skipper Campbell (three for 30 from 6.1 overs) and Blake West (three for 27 from seven) were Forties? most successful bowlers.

Earlier, opener Granville Bennett, the game?s top scorer with a fine attacking knock of 33, including a six and four fours, and David DeSilva (23) added 43 for the second wicket to give Forties a useful platform.

But when a total beyond 200 still seemed on the cards Harold Minors was run out for 19 going for a suicidal single and Brian Brangman fell soon afterwards for 29 in what the 56-year-old all-rounder later said would be his final innings, the pair having added 46 for the fifth wicket.

Benjamin (two for 42 from eight) and Kevin Bailey (two for 40 from eight) were the pick of the Village attack.

Skipper Campbell, 54, said: ?I?m proud of my guys. The difference between the two teams came down to the number of wides (Forties? total included 24 and Village?s 30) and fleetness in the field. Not that our guys didn?t give it their all but many of us were slowed by age and injuries.

?It does my heart good to see guys like Ricky Hill and Brian Brangman playing all year through pain just for the love of the game. On Sunday we also had Oscar (Andrade) and David D. (DeSilva) playing with injuries.?

?Anyway, bring on next year!? he added.