Second half goals by Irving Burgess and Steven Arorash lifted champions Vasco into the semi-finals of the Martonmere Cup last night at Somerset.

With two wins from their two Group B matches, Vasco will top the group with a maximum six points, leaving their two victims, Town and North Village, to battle for the other spot from that group.

In the other group, St. George's are through to the semi-finals despite their 2-1 loss to Boulevard, last year's beaten finalists. That leaves Boulevard and Somerset to battle for the other spot, with Boulevard needing just a point to win the group and thus avoid the in-form Vasco in the semis on October 31.

Vasco showed last night why they are the team to beat as, except for brief periods of domination by Town late in the first half and early in the second, they looked the sharper of the two teams.

In the end they were deserved winners after Burgess broke the deadlock against his former team in the 65th minute and Arorash doubled the lead eight minutes from the end with his first goal for his new club.

The game was played at a fast pace from the outset and it was Vasco who enjoyed the lion's share of the chances in the first half as both teams served up some good football. A quick Vasco break on the right in the 21st minute saw Dwight Basden leave both Diallo Sharrieff and Paul Place for dead on the corner of the penalty area but his cross was too hard to the far post and Town were let off.

Town, struggling to hold their own in midfield, made their first substitution in the 27th minute, bringing on Khari Sharrieff for Lionel Furbert. But Vasco continued to pull the strings as Corey Hill's cross from the right caused the Town defence more trouble before midfielder Billy Kirkpatrick followed up to shoot wide from long range.

A piece of brilliance by Burgess in the 28th minute nearly broke the deadlock but after springing through the Town defence with a burst of speed his shot came back off the crossbar after Cymande Davis was beaten.

In the last 14 minutes of the half the better of the chances came at the other end as Town began to show their class after a slow start. Their best chance came in the 36th minute when the Vasco defence was penetrated but Darron Simons' eventual shot was blocked for a corner by Timmy Figureido who was quick off his line to narrow the angle.

Minutes later a long range shot from Michael Richardson went inches over the bar before Sharrieff headed against the near post from a corner on the right just three minutes before the break.

As they have done so far this season, Vasco got their goals in the second half to clinch the win -- but not before the crossbar denied Burgess again. This time it came after Gibbons drove the ball in low and hard from the edge of the box following a corner on the left.

The ball took two deflections and from the second, which came off Burgess, the ball hit the crossbar as Town again escaped.

At the other end Figureido made an important diving punch to clear a dangerous cross from the right from Carlos Smith.

Town were enjoying a period in charge but it was to be brief as Vasco knocked them back with the opening goal, scored from close range by Burgess after the Town defence allowed the ball to be knocked around in their area.

The goal that settled it came in the 82nd minute when Gibbons chipped towards the far post and when the ball was cleared only towards the edge of the penalty area, Arorash pounced to drive in a low hard shot inside Davis' right hand post.

Davis made an important save two minutes from the end when he came off his line to rob substitute Frankie Simmons after a long ball forward opened the flat-footed Town defence.

Dandy Town: C.Davis; W.Rudo, D.Sharrieff, P.Place (M.Lewis 74min), D.Lewis; L.Furbert (K.Sharrieff 27min), P.Douglas, T.Lewis, D.Simons, C.Smith, R.Michardson (N.Smith 63min).

Vasco: T.Figureido; D.Stapley, S.Smith, K.Roberts, E.Richardson; S.Arorash, B.Kirkpatrick (W.Burgess 49min), S.Gibbons, I.Burgess, D.basden (F.Simmons 70min), C.Hill (P.Richardson 81min).

Men of match: Carlos Smith (Town), Sinclair Gibbons (Vasco).

Referee: Chris Terry.