MR Onions can win the league if they triumph over Lobster Pot on Saturday after they opened up an eight-point lead by beating secondly-placed Dandy Town Roots at the weekend.

The game itself was a good advert for the commercial league, two teams playing attractive football on a good playing surface in a game well officiated and played in the right spirit.

It was Dandy Town who settled the quicker and for 20 minutes their movement off the ball, quick interchanging and passing and lively attackers caused the hosts problems. Onions gradually became more of a force in the game though, largely due to the impressive Rael Coen breaking up Roots attacks while linking his own defence and attack well.

It was still Roots who should have taken the lead though – defensive uncertainties from the Onions led to a Roots attacker heading onto the crossbar when it looked easier to score. That was as close as the visitors got in a first half that ended with Onions themselves almost breaking the deadlock when a corner routine lead to the ball being bundled off the goal line to safety.

The breakthrough finally came midway through the second half and it was worth waiting for. Stand-in striker Ross Nottingham battled superbly to win possession in the inside-left channel and spotting the keeper had advanced from his line, clipped a delightful strike into the empty net when little else seemed to be on.

Roots reacted well to going behind and almost equalised when a well-struck shot from outside the box was expertly palmed over by Onions' keeper O'Donoghue. The ever-threatening Eoghan O'Dwyer latched onto a Coen through ball to calmly finish and effectively settle the game.

Meanwhile third placed Robin Hood lost to the fast improving Tuff Dogs who are finally finding form ahead of their Commercial Cup Final date. Geoff Sousa, Jamel Lovell and Lovintz Tota were on target for Dogs while Steven Simons netted for the Hood from a penalty after a handball ten minutes before the break.

Fourth-placed BAA enjoyed their largest victory of the season in Somerset with the 8-2 thrashing of relegation-bound Somerset Extros who actually opened the scoring with a breakaway goal after 20 minutes. However a brace from Paul Colvin ensured Wanderers went in at half time in front. Extros tired in the second half and BAA went on a rare scoring spree with Colvin completing his hat trick and both Martin Jones and veteran striker Jim Campbell grabbing two apiece.

Brendan Shevlin also superbly netted a rebound from an acute angle.

Lobster Pot managed a third consecutive draw in league play on Saturday, however, after giving up a 2-0 lead against ten-man North Village. Stephen Palmer headed in from a corner. Chris Andrews banged in a rebound for Pot's second while Village had a man sent off. But this seemed to galvanise the visitors who drew level through Ricky Hill and Elliot Jennings.

Valley and Key West Rangers drew 1-1 with Albert Thomas on target for the home side while Craig Darrell notched for Rangers.

St. George's All-Stars beat B Division Group 1 leaders PHC 4-1. Raiders had no answer for the lively Lionel Cann who exploded with four goals to propel All-Stars to the double over their division rivals who had taken an early lead through Sheridan Ming.

A shorthanded Vasco drew 2-2 with Boulevard. Joe Barrosso scored in both halves for Vasco who began with ten men and went down to nine after an injury. Boulevard scored through Cleve Rodgers and Wayne Richards.

St. David's beat Hamilton Parish 2-1 with strikes from Rudell Pitcher and Harold Booth with Antoine Green scoring for Parish.

In B Division Group Two Devonshire All-Stars beat leaders Prospect/Fire 3-0 with all three goals in the first half. Right-back Stefan Dupres began the rout by taking the ball from his own half and running at the defense and letting go from outside the box. Arnold Todd followed up with some good footwork to sidestep two defenders and slot home. Shawn Spencer then hammered in a half-volley on the edge of the box to complete it. Prospect/Fire came back strongly in the second-half but All-Stars hung on.

Devonshire Lions remain second after defeating Pest Control 10-2, despite starting with eight men and playing the second-half with nine. Philip Clarke and Dwayne Bean got hat-tricks while Derek Weeks, Dennis Williams, Carlos Smith and an own goal made up the tally for the Lions.

There were goals galore at Malabar where Wolves opened up a two-goal lead on Dockyard Falcons within ten minutes through Horace Landy and Daniel Stovell. However, the home team stormed back with four unanswered goals, including a well-placed penalty to lead at halftime. There were several lead changes in the second half, with Wolves leading goal scorer Landy scoring three more goals, and Donald Norford and Mickey Robinson also hitting the back of the net for Wolves. Falcons scored four times in the second-half, including from a second penalty, winning an entertaining game 8-7.

Please send match reports to mtaylor@royalgazette.bm