WESTERN BUREAU:
FORMER NATIONAL A League contenders Mt Salem United will have the luxury of using their rescheduled Fred Smith Western Confederation Super League game against Flames of Trelawny on January 27 as a warm-up after booking an early place in the mid-season final.
Mt Salem topped the first round standings with 23 points with a game in hand after their 2-1 win away to Russia in Tuesday's final set of first-round matches. Eshane Wilkins and Garth Johnson scored for Mt Salem.
A number of teams led by another St. James outfit, Tomorrow's People, and Flames are vying for the second spot in the final tentatively set for January 31.
Tomorrow's People, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Studs at the Elliston Wakeland Centre in Falmouth, have the upper hand as they only need to beat second to last Bamboo of Hanover in their rescheduled game next Tuesday to get through.
Raphael Palmer's hat-trick led struggling former National Premier League (NPL) champions Wadadah to a big 5-0 win over Petersfield in Westmoreland to improve them to seventh place while Rohan Reid and the veteran former national striker Neville 'Wee-Waa' Brown got the other goals.
Surprise team, Orange Hill, the Westmoreland Division One champions last season, stayed in third place on 17 points after beating Flames 2-0 as Granville improved to fourth place despite losing 2-0 to Altobar at the Sam Sharpe Teachers' College.
Granville swapped places with Petersfield on goal difference.
Omar Lewis scored once in each half to lead Altobar to their second win in three starts, netting in the sixth and 55th minutes.
The first round will end after the playing of seven rescheduled matches starting on Saturday when Russia host Bamboo.
