Dandy Town Roots moved a point clear at the top of Commercial A Division despite only managing a draw against a spirited Robin Hood side.

The Hood took full advantage of having the wind at their backs as they grabbed a deserved early lead when captain Gary Ray let fly from just outside the area.

Roots were having difficulty stringing passes together as Hood, who lie second from bottom, pressed them but an improved second-half display saw Darron Simons equalise from six yards after a Hood failed to clear a corner. Roots pressed for the winner, but Hood stood firm and left St. John’s Field with a well-deserved point.

North Village Rams drop to second after going down 2-1 to Key West Rangers. Earl Richardson put Key West one up after seven minutes while Quinton Burgess doubled the lead ten minutes before the break. Damon Wade grabbed Rams’ consolation with eight minutes remaining.

MR Onions remain fourth after a comfortable 3-0 victory over relegation candidates Island XI at a windswept Shelly Bay. Onions opened the scoring after ten minutes when they were awarded a free kick 25 yards out. John Lally’s shot was fumbled by the goalkeeper and Eoghan O’Dwyer snaffled up the rebound. O’Dwyer doubled the lead after 25 minutes when he beat the keeper after latching on to a Lally through ball. Onions dominated the first half and could have been further ahead at the break. Island XI came into the game in the second half but could not put away either of the chances they created. Matt Savage completed the scoring in the dying minutes after being put through by a Rael Coen header.

BAA had a similar easy win over PHC, taking the lead midway through the first half when Mark Sexton powered home a Jan Kahn corner. With the wind making it nearly impossible for PHC to get out of their own half BAA capitalised when some great approach work on the left from Jim Campbell led to Jan Kahn drilling the ball across the goal to find Adam Shaw who turned the ball into the net from two yards.

The second half was a different story with the wind now favouring PHC who began to dominate. However a stubborn rearguard display from BAA prevented PHC from creating any clear-cut chances. With PHC pressing forward BAA looked dangerous on the break and with 15 minutes to go added a third when Noel McGrath collected a superb through ball from Stevie Black to round the keeper and square for Adam Shaw to get his second. Meanwhile Lobster Pot and Tuff Dogs ground out a 0-0 draw.

In the B Division Somerset Extros moved up to second without kicking a ball when Boulevard could not field a team.

They overtake Valley who were supposed to play leaders St. George’s but the match was abandoned amid controversy. St. George’s provided a stand-in ref from their ranks when the official referee did not turn up. The crunch promotion match proved a testy affair and towards the end of the first half the stand-in ref called the game when a Valley player refused to go after being dismissed for dissent. The BFA have yet to rule whether the game will be replayed or whether the 0-0 score line will stand.

Devonshire Lions remain fourth after beating local rivals Devonshire All-Stars 5-1. Chris Pitcher, Wali Salaam, Derek Weeks and Shawn Smith were among the Lions scorers while Germano Bothello got All-Stars’ consolation.

Ricardo Arruda bagged five first-half goals to help Vasco to a 5-2 victory over Somerset Bridge Peskies, taking his tally to 13 in the last three games. In the second half, Peskies, who had started short-handed managed to two late consolation goals from Shane Pitcher and Terrance Bean as Mariners began to press and leave gaps at the back.

The Prospect Fire v Pest Control clash was postponed due to the memorial service for Prospect/Fire player David Roberts who died in a recent road smash.

Please send match reports to mtaylor@royalgazette.bm by Tuesday lunchtimes.