As the Loaded WaiBOP Premiership football race nears the finish line just two clubs look to have a realistic chance of taking the title.

Taupo and Papamoa, each with five matches remaining, look to have dealt to the chances of Tauranga Boys' College who are now third and five points off the pace with only two matches – both against second-placed Papamoa – to play.

Waikato Unicol are the only other side in with a mathematical chance also having five matches left, but would need the top two to stumble badly.

Taupo trailed Tauranga Boys' College at half time before storming home to win 4-2 thanks largely to Byron Theesman's second half hat trick. Eli Smith also scored for Taupo, while Alex Elliott and Lewis Reid hit the back of the net for the schoolboys, who will now have more than one eye on next week's national secondary schools tournament in Christchurch.

The win meant Taupo maintained their three point lead over Flying Mullet Papamoa, with both sides having an almost identical goals for and against record.

Papamoa made harder than expected work of relegation threatened Tokoroa, opening the scoring early through Mitchell Hales but having to wait until the 87th minute before Cole Peverley doubled their lead. It was a routine, if far from spectacular, 2-0 victory for Papamoa who, like Taupo, will be living by the mantra that wins, not winning margins, are key at this point in the season.

Otumoetai won 3-1 at West Hamilton United to slip ahead of Te Awamutu in the standings on goal difference. Nicholas Barnes scored on 20 minutes and again in the final minute, while David Williams' goal on the half hour ensured the Tauranga-based side led at the break. The result leaves them comfortably mid-table, after spending much of the season in the lower reaches, and with the prospect of further upward movement having three matches remaining.

West Hamilton twice led the Premiership this season but now look almost certain to finish ninth after a serious dip in form.

Waikato Unicol buried Hamilton Wanderers 9-1 at Jansen Park and look likely now to finish in the top three for a second season running. Riku Soejima and Kieran Payton both helped themselves to hat tricks against the league's strugglers, while an Ash Gower-Rudman brace and a goal from Nick Broome helped Unicol move comfortably past 50 league goals for the season.

These two sides are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday evening in the return fixture, which has already been twice rescheduled.

Melville United and Matamata Swifts round out the top six after both teams completed 2-1 home victories.

Melville edged past a Tauranga Blue Rovers side still fighting for their Premiership lives thanks to goals from Sok Ven and Subesh Naidu and stay fifth. Rovers, for their part, remain two points ahead of Tokoroa, who currently hold the second relegation spot.

With a far superior goal difference to Tokoroa, but having played twice more, this battle still has a long way to run.

Matamata struck early against Te Awamutu through Brayden Lissington, then doubled their lead with 20 minutes left when Jamie Baxter scored from the penalty spot. Steffan Foulkes headed home late on to give the visitors a small consolation in a match they probably should have taken a point from.

The only WaiBOP Women's Premier League match of the weekend was played in Hamilton, where Tokoroa defeated Melville United 1-0 to ensure a third place finish. Lucy Mason's goal midway through the first half was enough to separate the sides.

Tauranga City has already wrapped up the women's title.

Taupo look likely to have three more Loaded Premiership points in the bank this Saturday when they travel north to take on cellar-dwellers Hamilton Wanderers, while Papamoa will have to wait for the opportunity to keep pace with them as their match with Christchurch-bound Tauranga Boys' College has been postponed.

In other matches in the Bay Tauranga Blue Rovers will be looking at their Pemberton Park encounter with West Hamilton as a must-win to ease their relegation fears, while Otumoetai have the opportunity to move up another place – on goal difference over Matamata – when the two sides meet at Fergusson Park.

Loaded WaiBOP Premiership results:

Flying Mullet Papamoa 2-0 Mercury Tokoroa (ht: 1-0)

PAP: Mitchell Hales, Cole Peverley.

TOK: none.

Taupo 4-2 Tauranga Boys' College (ht: 0-1)

TAU: Eli Smith, Byron Theesman 3.

TBC: Alex Elliott, Lewis Reid.

Waikato Unicol 9-1 Hamilton Wanderers (ht: 5-0)

UNI: Riku Soejima 3, Kieran Payton 3, Ash Gower-Rudman 2, Nick Broome.

WAN: ??.

Comag Matamata Swifts 2-1 Te Awamutu (ht: 1-0)

MAT: Brayden Lissington, Jamie Baxter.

TAW: Steffan Foulkes.

West Hamilton United 1-3 Otumoetai (ht: 1-2)

WHM: ??.

OTU: Nicholas Barnes 2, David Williams.

Melville United 2-1 Tauranga Blue Rovers (ht: 1-1)

MEL: Sok Ven, Subesh Naidu.

TBR: ??.

WaiBOP Women's Premier League - Sunday

Melville United 0-1 McKay Tokoroa (ht: 0-1)

MEL: none.

TOK: Lucy Mason.