All-rounder Ricky Hoyte found himself at the centre of a no-ball controversy which ruined the top-of-the-table Commercial Cricket League clash between leaders North Village and West Indian Association after WIA skipper Barry Richards just missed out on a second consecutive century.

The rain-affected match was intriguingly poised ? Village were 47 runs short of victory with five wickets and nine overs to spare ? when it was halted because of bad light with each team picking up five points but, crucially, leaving WIA still trailing Village by eight points with three matches left.

Elsewhere, Forties edged Jamaican Association by three wickets, despite Chris Daley's knock of 92, to narrow the gap on the leading pair while 10-man Fine Leg Byes moved up to fourth after beating St. David's by seven wickets.

The flashpoint at Shelly Bay came when Village umpire Kevin Mallory twice wrongly no-balled Hoyte, bowling left arm around the wicket, for stepping outside the 'wide' line, leading to heated arguments on and off the field and holding up the match for more than 20 minutes.

Mallory was eventually replaced by Clarkie Darrell and Hoyte, who finished with one for 21 from seven overs, continued without further interruption but the rumpus took the edge off the match.

"We could have handled it quickly. Too many people got involved," admitted Richards, who had limped out of the match, afterwards.

Even with the delay, WIA managed to bowl just 29 overs in Village's innings which spanned three hours as the match fizzled out into the tamest of draws.

It was the second time the two teams have been at loggerheads in the past nine months.

Their rain-ruined knockout semi-final last season ended in turmoil with WIA claiming victory by the Duckworth-Lewis method and later threatening legal action after a Commercial League executive meeting ordered the match to be replayed. WIA refused and the league were forced to delay the final until the start of this season.

Village, chasing a revised 38-over target of 194 on Sunday, closed on 147 for five after Ernest McCallan (24 not out) and Reggie Benjamin (six not out) accepted an offer to go off for bad light. WIA had been 135 for four at the same stage of their innings.

Ironically, Estin Curtis was appointed by the Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association to officiate but he was switched to handle the St. David's-Cleveland match at Lord's.

The WIA innings, highlighted by opener Richards' 95, was reduced by four overs after two interruptions for rain.

Richards was forced to put his head down after the shock first-ball dismissal of Hoyte, who gloved a legside catch to wicketkeeper Mike Young off Reggie Benjamin (one for 39 from eight overs). Last season Hoyte made 155 against Village and ruined their title hopes.

Hoyte's dismissal left WIA wobbling at 38 for two but Richards, who capitalised on several dropped catches, added 90 for the third wicket with Dave Greenidge (36) and 60 for the fifth wicket with Adrian Maclean (25 not out).

Richards, who struck three sixes and six fours, was unlucky not to complete his century, slipping and spraining his ankle as he was caught at mid-wicket from a mistimed pull.

Mallory, later at the centre of the no-ball rumpus, was the pick of the Village attack with three for 52 from 11 overs.

Skipper Mike Levon retired hurt with a twisted ankle on 26 as Village made a cautious start but the innings was given fresh impetus when former Cup Match stars Allen Richardson (33) and Ricky Hill (26) teamed up before both perished to edges behind as WIA, whose bowling arsenal was beefed up by the inclusion of former Bailey's Bay and Cup Match player Anthony Brathwaite, sniffed a chance of victory at 118 for five.

Brathwaite, pacy but sometimes wayward, finished with one for 27 from seven overs. Jerry Callender went for 38 runs in four during the Richardson-Hill run spree but claimed the crucial wicket of Hill while Hoyte removed Richardson. Stan Francis took two for 24 from seven.

Forties almost squandered an opening stand of 85 in 17 overs between Harold Minors (49) and Braxton Stowe (28) before easing home with eight balls to spare at the Royal Naval Field, where veteran Clevie Smith, who has come out of retirement, struck the winning boundary in an unbeaten 19.

Earlier he took the slip catch to get rid of opener Daley whose 92 included five sixes and five fours while Marvin Simpson made 24 as the Jamaicans were dismissed for 179 in 39 overs in a match reduced to 40 overs because of a late start.

David DeSilva was Forties' most successful bowler with four for 50 from 14 overs while Stowe took two for 22 from three and skipper Gordon Campbell two for 27 from eight.

Ralston Wright claimed four for 34 from nine and Rowan Ramotar three for 16 from seven but Gladwin Ingham held firm with 42 as wickets tumbled around him to help guide Forties home.

Fine Leg Byes dismissed St. David's for 105 in 28 overs at Garrison Field and then coasted to 107 for two in 19 overs.

Aaron Crockwell topscored with 34 ? 32 of them in boundaries, including four sixes ? while FLB's new skipper Ishwar Narayanan claimed three for 28 from eight overs, man of the match Jeff DeSilva three for 17 from eight and Andrew Holmes two for 46 from six.

St. David's sportingly fielded in the rain as FLB completed their win, DeSilva making 45 not out and opener Alistair McNeish 42 after retiring hurt early when he gloved a ball onto his nose.