Devonshire Cougars 5

Devonshire Colts 0

Defending champions Devonshire Cougars issued an ominous warning to the pretenders to their throne after a five-goal demolition of Colts in the Charity Cup.

There was no doubting who was King of the day, with hat-trick hero Kwame Steede in irresistable form in his first showing since skippering the Bermuda Hogges.

Dictating his team's tempo throughout, Steede seemed to be playing on a different time zone, pressing an invisible pause button, on each occasion the ball fell under his masterful control.

When he wasn't launching Cougars' counter-attacks with a one-touch pass to the wing, or a slide-rule ball to the busy Raymond Beach, Steede was finishing them off with undetected surges into the box.

In short, the attacking midfielder was the catalyst of everything that was so good about Cougars' direct, high-tempo play during an explosive opening to leave Colts, whose usual slick-passing had degenerated into a frantic game of pinball, visibly shell-shocked.

Cougars' coach Shawn Smith later confessed he believed Steede's game had progressed to another level since returning from the Hogges, with the skipper himself talking about discovering an "extra dimension" during his own post-match musings.

On 15 minutes, he opened his account by ghosting into the box unmarked to divert Darius Cox's devilish right-wing delivery past despairing keeper Kevin Bean.

It triggered a rhythmic banging of drums from a vociferous sect of green and yellow-garbed supporters, who became even more clamorous two minutes later when Cox dissected Colt's flat-footed defence again. This time the Hogges' fullback swung the ball into the "corridor of uncertainty", for Beach who beat his marker before coolly finishing. By now Cougars were positively purring and it wasn't long before they completed their first-half rout when Cox's pinpoint cross into the area was deftly flicked by Beach, eventually finding its way to the unmarked Steede at the front post to lift home.

At half-time, ribbons bearing Cougars' distinctive colours could have been safely tied to the trophy with the Colts now playing solely for pride.

In fairness to Ray Jones' newly promoted club, they were without a raft of first choice players, but still enjoyed large spells of second-half possession, switching play effectively across the BAA Field.

Their resurgence had much to do with the introduction of recent signing Phil Anderson, who provided much needed support for the largely subdued Aljame Zuill, who had been starved of support and supplies during the first period.

Liverpool native Anderson, affectionately dubbed "Rooney" by his teammates, gave Colts some much needed physicality and attacking guile with Jones switching to a two-pronged attack.

And twice they very nearly reduced their emphatic goal deficit, first through Zuill who headed just over, before Quincy Aberdeen's low left-wing cross required the merest of touches as it flew across the goalmouth.

But Cougars were still looking dangerous on the break and added a fourth from a corner with defender Ijahmon Mallory claiming the goal with a deflected strike.

Fittingly it was the seemingly omniscient Steede who had the final word in the one-sided Devonshire Derby, once again in the right place at the right time, to complete his triple-salvo late on with a close range finish.

Starting line-ups

Devonshire Cougars: R.Brangman, D.Cox, K.Franks, J.Mallory, J.Butterfield, M.Steede, O.Butterfield, R.Robinson, K.Goddard, K.Steede, R.Beach

Devonshire Colts: K.Bean, C.Durham, J.Darrell, M.Hollis, J.Dill, T.Foote, D.Williams, M.Wiliiams, A.Zuill, Q.Jones, Q.Aberdeen