Commercial Cricket League rivals when they walloped defending champions Watford Sports Club in Sunday's opening round of matches.

Forties, runners-up last term, also came a cropper when they went down by two wickets to St. David's in a close finish while North Village registered an easy six-wicket victory over 10-man West End Warriors.

The scheduled fourth game between Police Recreation Club and newly-renamed Hemisphere Leg Trappers was called off as Police Field was unfit for play, each team settling for five points.

Devonshire Stars, seeking to return after several seasons, have withdrawn their application, leaving nine teams -- including newcomers Public Transportation Board, who had a bye on Sunday -- to battle for league honours.

Officials this week dropped plans to group the teams in two divisions and clubs will play each other twice in the league with the knockout to follow.

Fifth last season, Jamaican Association, who have strengthened their squad by snapping up former Premier Division players Lloyd Morrison and Donovan Livingston, avenged defeat in last year's knockout final with a 56-run win over Watford in a low-scoring game at Royal Naval Field.

The pace bowling duo of Michael Campbell and David Gibbs did the bulk of the damage for the jubilant Jamaicans, grabbing seven of the eight wickets to fall between them as Watford were bundled out for 77 -- including 29 extras -- while chasing a modest victory target of 134. Troy Berkeley topscored with 21.

Watford, who decided not to send in their young number 11 batsman Mark Burrows, suffered a major early setback when opening batsman Michael Corday was forced to retire hurt after edging a ball from Campbell into his face, later needing a total of 10 stitches for cuts inside his mouth.

Despite bowling 13 wides, Campbell finished with four for 43 from 12 overs while Gibbs claimed three for 17, including leading batsman Terry Ward, bowled for one.

Watford had hoped to include Clyde Best, the Island's soccer technical director who played a key role with the bat for the West Enders last season, but he reported sick while home briefly between trips to the Cayman Islands on international duty.

Earlier former Police player Livingston topscored with 34 and Thomas Ball hit 26 but a fine spell of bowling by left-armer David DeSilva, who snapped up five for 39 in 10 overs, pegged the Jamaicans back after Livingston and Ian Coke (19) added 57 for the second wicket.

Sixteen-year-old Trevor Corday -- his older brother Terence, Watford's main strike bowler, will miss the first three matches after getting married -- took three for 23.

Watford's attack included former West Indian Association player George Rock -- at 61 the league's oldest player -- who returned after a season's absence to bowl a tidy six-over spell at a cost of 18 runs.

St. David's, who dropped out during the 1996 season, marked their return to the league by pipping Forties with eight balls to spare in a match switched to Garrison Field after Sea Breeze Oval was declared unfit.

Man-of-the match Glen Fox was the toast of St. David's after he followed up his four for 44 from 15 overs by hitting two sixes and four fours in a swashbuckling knock of 60 -- despite needing a runner for most of his innings after pulling a muscle.

St. David's, with an extra two overs after Forties declared at 159 for six from 40 overs, got the jitters after Fox and Granville Bennett (15) added 49 for the fifth wicket, later slipping from 145 for five to 147 for eight but a swept four by George O'Brien, Jr. in the penultimate over sealed victory.

St. David's talented 15-year-old youth international Chris Foggo also impressed, claiming three victims behind the stumps -- one a superb one-handed legside catch to send back newcomer Dale Roberson for 21 -- and then making a polished 31 before being well caught by Roberson at deep midwicket.

Harold Minors, back with Forties after a spell with Young Men's Social Club, topscored with 25 and also took three for 24 while slow bowlers Hugh Hollis and Rob Ayton, another newcomer, picked up two wickets apiece. Rohaan Simons, overlooked for this week's soccer trip to the Caymans, hit an unbeaten 24 for Forties.

North Village, who finished one point behind West End Warriors at the bottom of the table last season, overpowered them at Shelly Bay, coasting to 60 for four after fast bowler Derek Bell grabbed six for 16 to help demolish the Warriors for 59. Both innings lasted 26.5 overs.

Although left-arm slow bowler Vernon Eve took three for 24, Kevin Lapsley helped set up the Village victory with a knock of 27 before he was out with the total 49.