league matches leading up to the Christmas break.

And the remaining three -- Vasco, BAA and Devonshire Cougars -- aren't likely to be in the gift-giving mood as, besides helping to decide who qualifies, will be anxious to improve their own lowly positions.

For that reason this weekend's round of games promises to be one of the most exciting so far. With just three points separating the top seven teams in the standings, not even the leaders of the pack, Somerset Trojans, can start planning for the holiday tournament.

A rash of unexpected results has been reflected by the First Division merry-go-round which has seen four teams enjoy brief stints at the top.

BAA surprisingly ended Somerset's unbeaten run, and Devonshire Cougars finally got their first win at the expense of high riding North Village. And on that kind of form, there could well be more surprises in store this weekend as matches again look difficult to predict.

Somerset and Dandy Town, first and second, should be good enough for maximum points over Boulevard and BAA respectively which would all but make certain of their places in the Dudley Eve competition. But the other two spots may not be decided until a week before Christmas.

North Village and PHC, tied on eight points and two points behind the leaders, face tricky matches against Devonshire Colts and Vasco respectively.

Devonshire Cougars, meanwhile, can spoil the aspirations of a St. George's team seeking to participate in the competition for the first time.

Village have home advantage against draw specialists Colts, but a share of the points at this stage would not boost the hopes of either team. Both are without a couple of key players because of Under-23 duty in Jamaica but the edge should still be with Village, assuming last weekend's loss to Cougars hasn't knocked them off their stride.

Another team looking to bounce back from their latest loss is St. George's, who face a difficult away outing against their jinx team, Devonshire Cougars.

Playing the Cougars at the Rec. has always been difficult for St. George's, and they need to overcome that barrier if they are to have any hopes of reaching the top four by Christmas.

A few weeks ago the East Enders might have looked at this game as a sure victory but Cougars have bounced back in impressive style and there appears to be new enthusiasm at the club as they prepare for the fight against relegation.

St. George's are tied on seven points with Devonshire Colts and Boulevard and all still have a good chance, provided they win their next two matches. Losses for any of them tomorrow would diminish their chances.

Boulevard looked the more threatening against Cougars in midweek only to pay the price for missed chances when they were beaten on penalty kicks while Colts will be chasing only their second league win, having drawn five of their seven matches so far.

The remaining match -- Vasco v PHC at PHC Stadium -- could also go either way with both ending slumps last weekend with 3-1 victories.

PHC's win lifts them back into the top four and whether they remain there will depend on how well they handle an unpredictable Vasco side that certainly has too much potential to be sitting in the bottom three in the standings.

In the Second Division, Somerset Eagles are in a position to take over the top spot from the idle Southampton Rangers when they travel away to meet Wolves at Devonshire Rec.

St. David's should still be in third place after their home match against Hamilton Parish while the other matches see Social Club taking on Port Royal at PHC Stadium and Prospect entertaining Paget at Police Field.

Today's Commercial Division B match between Wolves Pack and Somerset Extros has been switched to Shelly Bay I at 3.00 from Devonshire Rec.