A first half strike from Sinclair Gibbons proved just enough for St. George's to hold off a gallant effort from Prospect, while preserving their healthy lead atop the First Division standings.

Gibbons struck minutes from the end of the opening stanza, and the East Enders' top ranked defence made sure the goal stood up as Prospect embarked on an ultimately fruitless search for the equaliser.

With seven games left in the season, St. George's hold a four-point lead over second-place Paget, and also have a game in hand, making them odds on favourites for promotion to the Premier Division.

Paget 2 Somerset Eagles 1 Paget came out on top of this ill-tempered affair at White Hill Field, a match that saw both teams finish with only 10 men on the pitch.

However, while the match referee doled out his share of yellow caution cards, the shortage of players was not of his doing, rather as a result of both sides incurring injuries after having made the maximum allowed substitutions.

All the goals came during a frenzied first half, with Dennis Russell striking twice to put Paget up 2-0, before Stephen Burrows pulled one back for Eagles just before the break.

The second half was punctuated by rough play on the part of both sides, with the major surprise being that no one was ejected.

H.Parish 1 Ire. Rangers 3 Ireland Rangers made sure their long journey east was a worthy venture, as they returned a hard earned 3-1 victory over hosts Hamilton Parish.

Regino Gomes gave Rangers a first half lead, which was added to by Henry Santucci, who struck twice after the break. Cory Hill notched the lone reply for Parish.

The match was held up for a lengthy period when Parish player Corey Dowling came out of a tackle with a broken leg and was taken to hospital by ambulance.