Harold Minors kept his nerve to guide Forties to a nail-biting five-run victory over St. David's in a high-scoring Commercial Cricket League knockout final.

First-time finalists St. David's needed 15 runs from the last over to win an engrossing match -- the first Commercial final ever staged at Lord's -- but man of the match Minors ended their brave fight by restricting Kenny O'Connor and Henry O'Connor to nine runs with his off-breaks.

Earlier Minors hammered 65 to lay the foundation for Forties' challenging 231 for seven from their 40 overs, took a superb diving catch to remove danger man Alan Lamb and then snapped up two for 34 after handing the wicket-keeping gloves to Mark Melvin.

The victory, in a match in which both sides were guilty of dropping a hatful of chances and some sloppy ground fielding, completed the double for league champions Forties -- their first since 1993 -- and gave them their 11th knockout title in all.

"It was a thriller. I've been in a lot of cricket and soccer matches but never one this exciting,'' said St. David's all-rounder George O'Brien.

Skipper Gordon Campbell chose to bat first after winning the toss but the decision appeared to have backfired as Forties slumped to 34 for three -- Johnny Simoes was caught for one, Gladwin Ingham trapped lbw for four and Braxton Stowe run out for nought in a mix-up with opener Minors.

But Minors, who survived a stinging chance to O'Brien at mid-off from the second ball of the innings, joined Craig Cannonier to raise the 100 from 20 overs.

Both fell soon afterwards after adding 73 for the fourth wicket. Cannonier was trapped lbw for 25 and six runs later Minors holed out to Randy Swan on the long-on boundary, his 65 coming from 66 balls and including six fours and four sixes.

Skipper Campbell, hampered by an injured right knee, saw his side slide to 146 for seven as Melvin (11) and Gerald Simons (four) both fell to former team-mate Alan Lamb (two for 29), but then teamed up with Oscar Andrade to plunder 85 runs from the final eight overs -- including 20 from the 40th over bowled by skipper Eddie Lamb.

Campbell smashed all 20 -- three fours, a six and a two -- to finish with an unbeaten 53 from 44 balls, which contained seven fours and two sixes in all, while Andrade's priceless 30 not out included three fours and two sixes.

St. David's were 17 runs behind Forties at the halfway stage but had lost only the wickets of opener Lyndon Jackson (18) and skipper Lamb for nought, both falling to lbw decisions.

Opener George Cannonier and Alan Lamb, who had been dropped on three, stepped up the run rate, adding 69 for the third wicket before Minors' double strike removed both.

After catching Lamb for 23 Minors struck with his third ball, having Cannonier caught in the deep at 133 for four for a splendid 70 from 75 balls, including eight fours and three sixes.

St. David's target was 77 from the final 10 overs and O'Brien, caught and bowled by Stowe for 26, Ernest McCallan, bowled by Minors for 32, and Chris Pitcher, run out for 28, kept the east enders in the hunt with a flurry of boundaries. But when McCallan went in the 38th over and Pitcher in the 39th the task proved just beyond the east enders who closed at 226 for seven.

Forties knew they had been in a fight -- the toughest by far of all their 11 knockout triumphs.