The Commercial Cricket League's showpiece season-ending Knockout Cup final between top teams Spring Garden Cavaliers and Forties ended in chaos after a disputed last-over boundary catch sparked controversy on and off the pitch, ruining a pulsating match.

Forties, chasing the highest total ever to win a knockout final, began the over with the result in the balance at Shelly Bay after Craig Smith and Jeff DeSilva had helped Cavaliers pile up a formidable 250 for three from their 40 overs with an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 125.

With five wickets in hand, the batsmen were told ten runs were required for victory, although Forties later said that should have been five runs. The Cavaliers scorebook indicated Forties needed seven runs to win.

Plucky Palithapushpara Kumara, closing in on a century despite needing treatment after earlier being hit under the chin by a rising ball from pacer Anthony Brathwaite, struck Rohan Henry's second ball towards wide mid-wicket where Richard Foulds took the catch but in the process appeared to run outside the boundary marker, an orange cone.

Umpire Anthony Fubler initially signalled a six after square-leg umpire Wally Manders had indicated a maximum strike by the diminutive Sri Lankan, who had already smashed ten sixes and three fours in his swashbuckling 60-ball 90.

But Cavaliers protested the call and after protracted discussion Fubler reversed his earlier decision and gave Kumara out, sparking outrage in the Forties camp.

Acting skipper Blake West stormed onto the pitch and pulled up both sets of stumps before umpires and players trooped off with four balls remaining.

Last night league officials had still not made a ruling over the result as they awaited the umpires' report.

David Gibbons (35) and Brathwaite (23) put on 55 for the first wicket after Cavaliers had been sent in but the fireworks came in the closing stages as Smith and DeSilva plundered runs, 24 coming off West's last over. Smith's unbeaten 76 from 54 balls included five fours and four sixes while DeSilva struck two fours and three sixes in his 56-ball 59 not out.

Although Simon Jones and Yatin Gawas fell cheaply, Kavi Selvarajah and Ernest McCallan (29 from 32 balls) kept Forties up with the required run rate, Selvarajah falling at the second water break (28 overs) for 62 from 85 balls, which included four fours and two sixes.

Despite a lengthy delay which required taping – and later stitches in hospital – after he was injured while on 62, Kumara battled on to keep Forties in the hunt.

"Kavi, Mugsy (McCallan) and Kumar batted so well that it was a shame that they didn't reap the true fruits of their labours," said Forties' injured skipper Gordon Campbell.

"Many said that it was the best they had seen Kumar bat. I don't think that anyone at the ground thought that we had a chance. But we knew they didn't have a fifth bowler and were counting on some runs there."

Campbell, who was scoring Forties' innings, said after the match: "I realised that I made a big mistake in the third last over. I missed five runs.

"The five runs went into the batting and the bowling but not on the tally. It is very obvious from the scorebook too. In all the furore I didn't get a chance to check my totals. Therefore the (disallowed) six won the game. We claim the game!"

Campbell said of the disputed catch: "It is obvious that his (Foulds') momentum took him over the boundary. There is no fielder who ever completes a safe catch and then runs over the boundary on purpose."

Foulds said: "I was under it and called for it. I did not take my eyes off the ball for a split-second, and took the catch with my fingers pointing skyward. I immediately set off to celebrate the catch. I did not look down to see where my feet were.

"With the benefit of hindsight, I should have done so, and would probably have seen for myself whether I completed the catch within the field of play. I say probably because it is not always easy to judge as the boundary was marked by cones, and with no rope or marked line, where exactly does the boundary-edge lie?

"Suffice to say that I could not say with any certainty whether I was or was not in control of the ball whilst within the field of play as required under the laws.

"What followed was a melee of opinions and resulted in the batsman finally being given out by the umpires.

"There were spectators who were adamant that I had the ball under control within the field of play, and those who spoke with equal certainty that I did not.

"There were those who had a close view, and those who were over 150 yards away. In fact, ironically it seems that the only person who could not be certain of what happened was the person who made the catch. We do not have the benefit of replays, just the two officials making a decision in real time.

"That Forties felt they could not continue with the match after that incident is regrettable, and it ended an excellent contest between what have been the best two teams in the Commercial League this season."

Bermuda Cricket Umpires Association official Hector Watson said: "(Under Law 32) In a nutshell, the fielder has to be in control of both the ball and his movement for the catch to be ruled fair. The second the fielder achieves this control, the catch is considered complete. This is where the umpires' experience comes in.

"If the fielder is NOT in control of either the ball or his movement, and crosses the boundary, then the call would be six runs. If the fielder has achieved control of both the ball and his movement and then crosses the boundary, then the call would be 'OUT'.

"Therein lies the problem, making that judgment call, especially in a situation where a fielder is close to the boundary and may start celebrating and runs over the boundary with the ball still in his hand."