Spring Garden Cavaliers paid the price for their profligacy in bowling 46 wides as Forties recovered from a three-wicket burst by veteran Jerry Callender to pull off an improbable one-wicket victory with one ball remaining in the Commercial Cricket League's season-ending Knockout final at Shelly Bay.

The wides, coupled with one no-ball, meant Cavaliers had to bowl almost an extra eight overs in a pulsating match of fluctuating fortunes that finished in near darkness approaching 7.30 p.m.

In all, the innings contained 53 extras as Forties, the defending champions, won the Knockout title for the 15th time, squeezing past Cavaliers' 39.5-over total of 197 after needing six runs from the final over.

Cavaliers' skipper Barry Richards said afterwards that Forties were the better side and deserved to win but opposing captain Gordon Campbell admitted: "Spring Garden are a strong team and we feel fortunate to have beaten them on the day. It could have gone either way."

Added Campbell, whose side conceded only 22 extras: "I know Spring Garden will agree with us that the biggest factor in this match was the 46 wides they gifted us."

Cavaliers, who elected to bat after winning the toss, lost Richards for 19 with 32 runs on the board, but a terrific second-wicket stand of 92 between Dave Greenidge and Richards, who each made 45, propelled their side to a commanding 124 for one in 26 overs but the wickets started to tumble once they tried to accelerate the run rate towards six runs an over.

Greenidge, dropped three times early on, two of them difficult chances, struck three boundaries in his 71-ball knock while Foulds hit three fours and a six in his 68-ball innings before both fell in the space of three runs.

Anthony Braithwaite (nine) and Chris Clarke (two) both fell cheaply as Cavaliers slipped to 138 for five but the tail wagged with Courtney Weekes making 22, Lloyd Morrison 14 and David Gibbons 13.

Blake West, whose first four overs cost 24, returned for a second spell to finish with three for 44 from 7.5 overs, while Campbell picked up two for 25 from five. Hoyt Zuill, whose father 'Soup' died the previous day, took two for 34 from eight and Granville Bennett took two for 38 from seven.

In reply, Forties lost Gerald Bean for two but rallied with a solid second-wicket partnership of 59 between Campbell (21) and opener Alistair McNeish (15) before 54-year-old medium pacer Callender triggered a collapse that saw four wickets tumble for the addition of two runs.

Callender's three wickets in four balls began when he smartly caught and bowled McNeish, then trapped Yatin Gawas, who struck a sparkling 74 in last year's final, lbw playing across the line with his next delivery before sending Campbell's leg stump cartwheeling with the first ball of his fourth over, finishing with three for 36 from eight overs.

Cavaliers seemed to have the match in the bag with Forties reeling at 66 for five but 28-year-old MP's son Justin Barritt and Bennett produced a superb sixth-wicket partnership of 72 in 78 balls, each making 33, that put the match back in the balance. Bennett was stumped by Morrison, who took over the wicketkeeping duties from Clarke after opening the bowling and taking one for 23 from five overs.

Barritt, who struck two sixes, then added a crucial 31 for the seventh wicket with Harold Minors, who cracked a 19-ball 26, but both fell and when Randy Simmons went for two Forties still needed 13 from the final three overs after slow bowler Ishwar Narayanan, who bowled the final over, snapped up three for 27.

Braithwaite helped Forties' cause by bowling five wides in the penultimate over before Zuill (two not out) and West (seven not out) held their nerve to seal victory. In all, Braithwaite, whose eight overs went for 43, sent down 16 wides.

Campbell, who would also have batted if he had won the toss "just to spare us bowling and fielding in the heat", said after receiving the cup from league president Armell Thomas: "We knew Greenidge and Foulds would be the danger men and their partnership of 92 was really high class, except for a few chances that Dave gave.

"When we went from 64 for one to 66 for five in our innings I thought we were dead and buried but Justin and Granville did a very disciplined rescue act with 72 in 78 balls with only three boundaries, just knocking it around, before Harold chipped in with his quickfire 26."

Sunday's result meant that four different teams shared the league trophies. North Village beat Forties in the season-opening Memorial Cup, Jamaican Association won the league championship ahead of Forties and Cavaliers lifted the League Cup by beating BC Allrounders.