For a few minutes midway through the first half, home side St. David's were in contention for their first point of the season, but Somerset quickly put that idea to rest with two more goals in seven minutes to secure the points.

As expected Somerset had more to offer in attack and it was not too much of a surprise when midfielder Billy Kirkpatrick put them in front from a brilliant free kick in the 13th minute.

Tough-tackling defender Chuck Waldron committed a foul on Rodney Bascome 30 yards from goal. Reginald Pitcher, normally an outfield player but called on to help solve the St. David's goalkeeping problem, was given no chance when Kirkpatrick's firmly-struck shot grazed the underside of the crossbar at the near post.

Bascome missed a good chance to make it 2-0 in the 19th minute when he put his first-time shot straight at Pitcher after Kwame Tucker had set him up.

Jerry Laws' first goal of the season in the 24th minute brought St. David's into the game. The move was started by a long ball forward by midfielder Maxwell Dill for Laws who outstripped the Somerset defence and placed a low shot in at 'keeper Antoine Swan's left-hand post.

The goal lifted St. David's but their joy was short-lived as, first, Craig Laws came on for the injured Shane Weeks in the 27th minute and then a minute later Somerset regained the lead with the first of Lamaul Crofton's two goals.

Like the first two goals of the match, this was also smartly taken as a ball behind the St. David's defence put Crofton clear of full-back Kenneth Wade.

Crofton carried on into the box before driving the ball past Pitcher, again beaten at the near post.

St. David's looked threatening whenever the ball reached Jerry Laws but the support and service was often lacking for their most experienced goal-scorer.

On one occasion, Swan hurried out of his area to clear the ball from Laws while a couple of minutes later winger Otis Minors put a shot over the bar as St. David's kept up the pressure.

However, their hopes of a point were eliminated in the 35th minute when Crofton scored his second goal with a 25-yard shot that beat the diving Pitcher, thus completing a hat-trick of woe at the near post.

Anthony Burchall kept the pressure on the ailing goalkeeper -- limping since the 10th minute with a foot injury -- when he put a long-range shot just wide in the 40th minute and then a minute later had a shot blocked on the line by full-back Steven Jones after a cross from the right beat Pitcher.

Somerset maintained their search for goals early in the second half but it was St. David's who should have scored in the 62nd minute with a good move that was started with Minors sending the overlapping Wade through on the left.

And though Wade's early cross found the unmarked Anthony Darrell the most he could do from six yards was put his header well over the bar, much to the relief of the Somerset defence.

Had that chance been taken it would have given St. David's something to aim for in the final third of the match but instead it was Somerset who found the net again two minutes from the end when the ball broke free to Andrew Rahman from a corner on the left and he drove the ball into goal from close range.

At the other end Jerry Laws saw his shot blocked by 'keeper Swan before Minors followed up to have his effort deflected for a corner.

St. David's: R.Pitcher; S.Jones, C.Waldron, G.Swainson, K.Wade; A.Darrell, M.Dill, S.Pitcher; O.Minors, J.Laws, S.Weeks (C.Laws, 27 mins).

Somerset: A.Swan; P.Place, D.DeRoza, T.Dickenson, G.Cann; A.Burchall, A.Rahman, B.Kirkpatrick; R.Bascome (F.Simmons, 74 mins), L.Crofton, K.Tucker (C.Anderson, 71 mins).

Referee: Frank Drayton.

Men of the match: Maxwell Dill (St. David's); Andrew Rahman (Somerset).