AS Southampton Rangers continue their quest for more silverware this weekend, the question that begs to be asked is can anybody prevent them from running away with all the honours this season?

Even when not on top of their game Rangers are too strong for the other teams, as evidenced last weekend when, despite scoring just 163 ? they were 27-5 at one stage ? they still managed to beat Western Stars quite comfortably by 83 runs in a Premier League match.

A few years ago a Rangers-Stars match-up would have been one of the top matches of the season, but these days Stars are going through a period of transition and are just a shadow of their former selves, with the retirement of senior players leaving them very light in the experience department. Scoring just 80 in reply to Rangers' total represented a disappointing effort for a team of Stars' standing.

That said, the following day, with Hasan Durham returning to the side and adding some valuable runs in the early order, Stars bounced back to defeat St. David's by 16 runs.

It is that type of consistency shown by other title contenders that leaves Rangers as clear favourites in the league. They followed up Saturday's win over Stars with an eight-wicket win over Somerset.

What they have, which other teams don't, is quality and know-how in the middle order with players like captain Janeiro Tucker, Lionel Cann and Olin Jones, capable of overcoming shaky starts.

Even when Malachi Jones failed in both innings last weekend, players like Tucker, on Saturday, and Keith Wainwright and youngster Andrew Raynor , on Sunday, came to the fore. Wainwright (72 not out) and Raynor (62 not out) added 153 for the unbroken third wicket stand to lead Rangers home with plenty of overs to spare.

This Sunday, Social Club, perrennial pushovers not so long ago but now the island's most improved team under player-coach Charlie Marshall, have the task of stopping Rangers. Certainly they have it in them to give Rangers a good contest, however, much still rests on the shoulders of Marshall who still has the appetite for big scores despite being in his mid-40s.

Still, it is not a one-man Social Club show as they have a good batting line-up of Dano Outerbridge, Winston Simmons, Detroy Smith, Dwayne Adams, Nakia Smith and Jahmeiko Marshall, with Kenny Phillip still a handy number seven or eight batsman. Last weekend Social Club defeated Marshall's former team, Bailey's Bay, by 65 runs despite scoring only 156 themselves. For Bay, Irving Romaine was the only batsman in double figures with 33 as Bay could only manage 91 in reply.

Less than a month away from the first round of the Eastern Counties, the champions clearly have some work to do before meeting St. David's. Their immediate concern, though, is to bounce back against Western Stars at Sea Breeze Oval. Bay won recently by an innings in a two-day match at St. John's field and should be favourites at home.

St. David's were seen as one of the teams to press Rangers the hardest this season, but they often have a look of vulnerability about them. They, too, suffer from inconsistency. Against Western Stars they were 51-4 chasing 193 and were later 174-6 before three wickets went down for three runs as they fell just short.

This weekend St. David's meet their Eastern Counties rivals Flatts at St. David's while the other match in the top division sees Somerset taking on Warwick with both teams looking to bounce back from defeats last weekend.

In the First Division on Sunday, Devonshire Rec host St. George's, Cleveland meet Willow Cuts while Somerset Bridge are at home to PHC and Police welcome Leg Trappers.