Somerset Trojans 6

St.David's 3

A superbly taken Rohaan Simons hat-trick dashed any hopes St.David's might have had of upsetting FA Cup giants Somerset Trojans at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

The Trojan livewire put on a lethal display of finishing before a sparse crowd to spur his team through to the last 16.

From the off, Trojans' diminutive forward Damon Ming, working nicely in tandem with Simons, began wreaking havoc on a shaky Islanders defence with some forceful, penetrating runs forward.

And it was therefore no surprise to see the home team storm into a ninth-minute lead when Ming converted from the penalty spot after Islanders' Shea Pitcher had tripped Simons in the box as he raced towards goal.

Ming again picked apart the St. David's defence 11 minutes later before sending in a low cross which left Simons with the easiest of tasks to side-foot home from six-yards into an empty net and give Trojans a 2-0 lead.

From here, it was all one-way traffic as the home team continued to find the target regularly.

Dion Stovell made it 3-0 with a curling effort from 18 yards out which eluded the outstretched hands of Islanders `keeper George O'Brien Jr., before Simons capped off Trojans' brilliant first-half performance by grabbing his second goal of the match and his team's fourth ten minutes before the interval.

Simons, positioning himself well some eight yards out, stabbed home another piercing Ming cross from out on the right-side.

Damon Francis was then unlucky not to have scored when his 20-yard screamer ricocheted off the bar with O'Brien left standing completely flat-footed.

Trojans led 4-0 at the half.

Shortly after the restart, Simons picked where he had left off by completing his treble with a delicate lob from the edge of the box into an empty goal after O'Brien had rushed off his line.

At this point, however, one would have thought that St.David's were dead and buried. But the gritty Islanders refused to be washed away and within the space of nine minutes they managed to pull to within two goals of Somerset with three unanswered strikes that caught the home team completely off-guard.

First Kennan Butterfield ploughed his way through the Trojans defence before looking up and beating Timmy Figureido with a firm low drive which nestled in at the near post to make it 5-1.

Three minutes later, Otis Minors produced the goal of the match as he rammed home Aaron Crockwell's cross from the left-side from eight yards out.

Minors then notched St.David's' third from the penalty spot to give his team a ray of hope.

However, Trojans second-half substitute Marvin Belboda came onto to do exactly what he does best - score goals.

And it was his 83rd minute header which finally put an end to the visitors' spirited revival and send Trojans comfortably through to the next round.