by thrashing defending champions Leg Trappers by seven wickets for the second time this season at Nationals in the final round of matches.

Attention now switches to the league's knockout tournament which begins this weekend with four first round matches scheduled.

Victory over an off-colour Leg Trappers in Sunday's match -- the only one played -- helped Forties finish the league season 23 points clear of Watford Sports Club, the west enders having dropped out of the title race the previous weekend when they picked up only three points in a "losing'' draw at home to Leg Trappers.

With their title chances gone, Watford were unable to make contact with their opponents on Sunday and, convinced the heavy early-morning rain would prevent any play, did not make the journey to Garrison Field but Devonshire Stars turned up and claimed the points.

North Village defaulted for the second week running, handing the points to Jamaican Association at Shelly Bay, while St. David's and West Indian Association were forced to take five points apiece because of the unavailability of Lord's.

St. David's skipper Eddie Lamb said he discovered only at the last minute that Lord's, due to a rescheduling of fixtures by the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control, was being used for the St. David's Premier Division match against Cleveland County.

The game at Nationals, which marked Roddy Moore's farewell, was touch and go and went ahead only after the groundsman spent 75 minutes preparing a damp pitch whose bounce was uneven.

Forties, bouncing back from a heavy defeat against West Indian Association at the same ground the previous week, won a crucial toss and sent in Leg Trappers, who crashed to 23 for six as David Jarrett ripped out the top order.

Jarrett finished with five for 17 from 11 overs, five of them maidens, before Leg Trappers recovered to reach 115 for nine in their 42 overs. Graham Strange and James Swan led the fightback, adding 46 for the seventh wicket before Swan fell for 24 off Brian Holdipp, who bowled unchanged for 21 overs, claiming three for 46.

Although Strange was ninth out for 30 with the total 90 -- the second of two first slip catches by 51-year-old former stalwart Clevie Smith in his first match for the club in more than six years -- David Hosier (19 not out) and skipper Colin Scaife (13 not out) hit out to good effect to add an unbeaten 25 for the last wicket.

Moore, a doctor who leaves the Island tomorrow after 15 years in Bermuda and heads for the Welsh capital Cardiff, was promoted to number five in the Leg Trappers batting order but made only three and was struck a painful blow on his toe which prevented him from bowling.

Opener Harold Minors set the tone for Forties' reply, smashing two fours and a two off Hosier's first three deliveries before being bowled.

Johnny Simoes, promoted to open the innings, and Gladwin Ingham added 55 for the second wicket before Simoes was trapped lbw for 20 in the 20th over. Craig Cannonier then hammered three sixes and two fours in a quickfire 35, falling to a return catch to Swan (two for 18) at 112.

Ingham, who made an unbeaten 53 in the first fixture when Leg Trappers were dismissed for 118, clinched victory with a fifth four in his 40 not out, Forties reaching their target in exactly the same number of overs as before -- 30.1.

Opener James Broadbent, 35 on Monday, took the blame for Leg Trappers' below-par performance on Sunday -- he admitted he and his team-mates were all out late the night before celebrating his birthday.

Jamaican Association will be hoping to make it third time lucky when they take on Watford Sports Club at the Royal Naval Field, having lost both league matches at the west end ground.

Watford will be without skipper Terry Corday -- off on a 50th birthday Caribbean cruise -- and his son Terence, who will join him, as well as Ray DeSilva and Andrew Paynter while the Jamaicans have doubts over the availability of key all-rounder Michael Campbell, Courtney Sinclair and Barry Reid.

Forties, 10 times knockout winners, welcome back skipper Gordon Campbell for their match against North Village whose spokesman Wendell Lindsay said he was confident his club would field a strong side.

The other tie pits St. David's against Devonshire Stars.

The BCBC, meanwhile, have confirmed next month's tour to Bermuda by the New Haven Cricket Club of Connecticut.

New Haven are due to arrive on Monday, September 25 for two 40-overs games against Commercial Select XIs on the following two days at Sea Breeze Oval.

The Wednesday game was originally set for Thursday, September 28.