Portmore United and Tivoli Gardens have turned the National Premier League (NPL) into a two-horse race while Sporting Central Academy grabbed the crucial sixth spot after the conclusion of the third round set of games yesterday.

Goals by Adrian Reid in the 47^th and Mario Swaby in the 80^th pushed Portmore United to a easy 2-0 home win over Reno FC and maintained their five points gap atop the table.

After 33 games, Portmore United are on 64 points with only second-placed Tivoli Gardens on 59 points, realistically having a chance of overhauling them.

Third-placed team Boys' Town are 14 points adrift with five games to play and theoretically has a chance but Portmore would only need a point to throw Boys' Town's chances out the window.

Meanwhile Reno dropped two places to be 12^th and last on 33 points and are looking like the relegation favourites with five games remaining.

At the Edward Seaga Sports Complex, an own goal by St George's Keon Clunis in the 24^th minute and further goals by Dwight Heron in the 70^th and Sheldon Palmer in the 90^th gave Tivoli Gardens a comfortable 3-1 win.

The tall Denroy Dennis had levelled the scores in the 25^th minute but the visitors fell apart in the second half to suffer their 10^th road loss from 17 games.

Title-chasing Tivoli Gardens with their 18^th win of the campaign, stayed second on 59 points, just five behind leaders Portmore United.

St George's which started the day in seventh spot with a chance of grabbing the safe sixth place to avoid the relegation battle, dropped a position to eighth on 39 points.

The Portland-based team will have to play in the bottom group in what could be a dogged fight for premier league survival.

Meanwhile over at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, Arnett Gardens scored a crucial 1-0 win over champion Harbour View to give themselves a good chance in their relegation battle while effectively ending Harbour View's title ambitions.

Horace Sharpe netted a 17^th minute penalty which proved enough to secure Arnett's sixth win from 33 games in their worst season in almost 30 years in the top flight.

Harbour View's goalkeeper Dwayne Miller fouled Kenrick Rodriques in the box giving referee Kevin Morrison no choice but to point to the spot.

Sharpe made no mistake for his sixth goal for the season and might be the most crucial for his team as it lifts Arnett off the bottom of the 12-team league to 10^th on 35 points.

Discarded national playmaker Jermaine Hue's terrible season continued, as he was red card in the 59^th minute.

Harbour View, the Caribbean Club champions, remained in fourth spot on 47 points, and have relinquished their title in tame fashion languishing some 17 points behind with five games remaining.

Clarendon's Sporting Central Academy scored a injury time goal to earned a dramatic 2-2 draw with Seba United at Brancourt and pushed themselves into the sixth spot.

With four teams battling for that final sixth spot, Ian Palmer gave the home team Sporting a 43^rd minute lead but two goals in five minutes swung the game in Seba's favour.

Kemar James and Kemar Mills struck in the 58^th and 63^rd minutes respectively to give the St James outfit the lead and were well on their way to snatching the sixth spot with both St George's and Village losing convincingly.

But Gregory Lewis popped up in dying moments to score in the 90^th minute to earn a 2-2 draw and a place into the elite group and safe from the relegation battle.

Sporting Central finished the third round on 39 points the same as Village United and St George's but with a better head to head record and thus just squeezed in ahead.

Seba which were seconds away from leaping from ninth to sixth, remained in ninth on 38 points and are just four points above the relegation zone.

At Collie Smith Drive Sports Complex, home team Boys' Town continued their good form while ending Village United's unbeaten third round run with a 3-0 whipping.

Last season's MVP, George Vernal scored in the 19^th and 76^th, and was ably supported by astunning effort from Garfield Gillespie in the 88^th minute.

The Red Brigade with their 12^th win of the season, stayed third on 50 points, a long way behind leaders Portmore United on 64 and only a miracle can allow them to win the title with five game to go.

The Trelawny-based Village which rattled up some impressive victories in the third round, remained on 39 points in seventh spot and just missed out on securing the sixth spot and will have to battle in out with the relegation strugglers.

Only six points separate the seventh placed team from the 12-placed team with the bottom two being relegated at the end of the season.

At Drewsland, August Town earned an important point in their relegation battle with a 1-1 draw against Waterhouse.

The pencil-slim Jonathan Williams gave home team Waterhouse a 38^th minute lead but Nicholas Smith scored in the 86^th minute to tie the game.

August Town remained in 11^th spot on 34 points just one point behind the 10^th-placed team Arnett Gardens in the relegation zone.

Waterhouse stayed fifth on 44 points, 20 behind leaders Portmore United and will have nothing to play to motivate them for the rest of the season.

The fourth round will see the 12 teams split into two groups with Portmore United, Tivoli Gardens, Boys' Town, Harbour View, Waterhouse and the promoted Sporting Central Academy playing among themselves in the top group.

Village United, St George's, Seba United, Arnett Gardens, August Town and Reno will also play among themselves in their battle for premier league survival.