North Village 3 Boulevard 1

Underlining their supremacy in the Premier Division, North Village rebounded from Boulevard Blazers' early sting to notch a convincing 3-1 victory on home ground yesterday and jump five points clear at the top of the table.

Inspired by some searing runs down the left flank by Kevin Jennings and defensive excellence by Shannon DeShields, Kimandi Binns and Ralph Bean, Village signalled that any team desirous of toppling them as league champions have a hard road to travel.

Blazers, two points adrift of Village before the match, seemed to be throwing down the gauntlet at Bernard Park - at least for the first 20 minutes.

Their captain Shaki Crockwell stunned noisy Village fans in the ninth minute when he fired past Village's custodian Dwayne (Streaker) Adams to take his team ahead. Crockwell's strike followed a smart build-up between Melchisedec Gibbons and Tekeyhi Walker on the left flank before the ball was passed to their skipper slightly to the right of goal and about ten yards out.

Boulevard pressed forward, dominating possession and play, only to see Gibbons squander a golden opportunity to put them 2-0 up. Totally unmarked and directly in front of goal, he lofted a shot barely wide of the upper right corner from about 15 yards. It was a mistake which he would rue as Village gradually got into stride, their passing and tackling becimg much crisper as they sought to repair the damage.

They didn't keep supporters waiting long as Clay Smith equalised with a header at the left post in the 22nd minute when Kevin Jennings defied a mad scramble for possession near the touch-line on the right post to hook the ball over to his team-mate.

In the 42nd minute, Keith Jennings swept Village into the lead with a calculated chip from just beyond the box that found Shejuan Swan helplessly off his line. The Boulevard's goalie had been wandering upfield often during the half and was finally made to pay as Village went to the break with a 2-1 advantage.

The second half saw Village determined to increase their margin of victory but Boulevard - thanks to some luck, good reaction by Swan and the resolute Leonard Hypolite - withstood the pressure.

On the rare occasion that they got an attack going it was either Crockwell, Walker or Gibbons initiating it. However, these efforts all came to nought.

Kevin Jennings gave Village reason to breathe easier in the 73rd minute when, on another of his dazzling runs down the left, he cut across to the right of goal before rifling a shot past a diving Swan's right hand.

"Yes, we got the three points now," declared a Village fan, reacting to the 3-1 scoreline and echoing the relief of all aligned with the red-and-white squad.

Boulevard: S.Swan, L.Stevens, A.Caisey, L.Hypolite, T.Trott, J.Samuels, C.Trott (S.Wade, 75 mins), M.Gibbons, S.Crockwell, R.Burgess (Farid El Karfa, 69 mins), T.Walker.

North Village: D.Adams, S.Deshields, M.Dill, K.Jennings, Kimandi Binns, M.Hansey, Kevin Jennings, R.Bean, C.Smith (J.Jennings, 75 mins), Keith Jennings, D.Warren (J.Davis, 84 mins).

Booked: S.Crockwell (Boulevard); Kentoine Jennings (Village).

Men of the Match: T.Walker (Boulevard); Kevin Jennings (Village).

Referee: C.Simons.