Both leaders BAA Wanderers and second placed Island Rangers created some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack with resounding victories over the weekend.

Rangers were the biggest winners as they blasted then third place team Mariners 7-2 behind an unanswered seven goal burst in the second half spurred by the talents of Troy Berkeley and Michael Bremar.

Early on it appeared Mariners would run riot, their top scorer Richard Correia netting goals 11 and 12 to give them a two goal cushion at the interval.

But it was the Dockyard side who came alive after the break as Berkeley found his scoring boots, smashing home four goals, while Bremar garnered a hat-trick of his own. Also enjoying a good outing was Wolde Tansae, who set up three strikes.

"Everybody fell asleep in the second half,'' said Mariners team president Dennis Rodrigues, forced to endure the harsh bombardment as he stood in goal.

"I had no defence, my full backs went forward looking to score goals.'' Mariners were not helped by a missed penalty by Joe Barboza while trailing 3-2.

Rangers are now three points clear in second place with 23 points, while Mariners dropped from third to fourth. Rangers, though, still trail Wanderers by five points.

There was no such drama during the contest featuring Wanderers and Forties, as the defending champions marched to a methodical 3-0 away triumph, although for a while bottom club Forties were able to match their superior foes.

Deadlocked 0-0 at the break, Wanderers put matters to rest with rapid strikes from Darren Hope, Mike O'Connell and Frankie Brewster.

It took some late heroics by striker Sinclair Smith to pull off victory for St. George's All-Stars over Devonshire Colts All-Stars at the east end.

Smith notched a hat-trick, with his final pair coming in the last five minutes, when St. George's trailed 2-1. Smith had earlier scored in the first half to put his side up at the break, only to have Devonshire erase the deficit and surge ahead.

The victory, combined with losses by Mariners and Robin Hood, carried St.

George's to third in the table. They have 20 points from 10 matches.

Hood saw their chances of advancing derailed by surprising Lobster Pot, who recorded just their second win of the season, beating their higher ranked opponents 3-2, twice coming from behind.

Tony Smith, Gladstone Grant and Niall Moffet tallied for the winners, while Kevin Thomsett and John Beardsley struck for Hood.

The other Group A fixture saw Spinning Wheel hand a 2-0 defeat to MR Onions, as Des Minors added to his division leading scoring total. Minors scored once in each half to raise his tally to 19.

In Group B top guns North Village Rams erupted for 13 goals against short-handed Belco at St. John's Field to increase their lead atop the division to three points.

Belco were always going to be up against it once they took to the pitch with seven players -- the minimum allowance for an official match.

And Rams made them pay with six goals in the first half followed by another avalanche in the second, when the visitors struck another seven times.

Ralph Bean and Leroy Wilson led the charge with three apiece, while single scores were registered by Cal Dill, Shervin Dill, Richard Robinson, Ricky Simmons, Mike Levon, Wayne Pimental and Milgrove Romaine.

Falling off the pace were Valley, who entered the day second, but ended third, as they were forced into a share of the spoils by Devonshire Lions, with the final score 1-1.

Wolves were prevented from keeping pace because of an unplayable pitch at Devonshire Rec., their encounter with Exiles having to be postponed.

Fire Service were thus allowed to move two places from fourth in battering Bermuda Pest Control 5-2.

Leonard Davis and Troy Furbert each netted two goals for Service, while Allan Wilkinson scored once. Bruno Defrancesca and Delton White replied for Pest Control.

The lone remaining fixture saw Somerset Extros squeeze past Prison Officers 4-3.

Mike Lambe, Charlie Fox and Denton Leader tallied for Officers.