Gros Islet has surged to the top of the Saint Lucia Football Association’s Northern Zone Under-20 Men’s District Tournament following a spectacular 8-1 demolition of neighboring rivals Babonneau. The commanding victory, secured Wednesday night at Grande Riviere Playing Field, positions Gros Islet alongside La Clery with six competition points each.
The match witnessed an extraordinary performance from 19-year-old Rickelme Lionel, who delivered a stunning first-half hat-trick despite his personal connections to Babonneau. Hailing from Fond Assau and developed through New Generation FC, Lionel found the net in the 2nd, 3rd, and 28th minutes, establishing Gros Islet’s dominance early in the contest.
Babonneau’s lone response came from Lamar Cazaubon in the 38th minute, but their hopes diminished considerably when Under-20 international Nyel Fontenelle extended Gros Islet’s lead to 4-1 in the 50th minute. The match took a further unfortunate turn for Babonneau as goalkeeper Naheem Remy conceded an own goal moments later.
Lionel returned to complete his quadruple haul in the 53rd minute before Kendrick Antoine and Dervaj Edward added two more goals in quick succession during the 74th and 76th minutes, completing the scoring rout.
In the evening’s earlier fixture, Marchand secured their first tournament points with a decisive 4-0 victory over Central Castries. McLain Hippolyte, Kimanie St Rose, Edson Nicholas, and Shervon King all contributed to the scoreboard in this Castries derby matchup.
The tournament standings now show Marchand and Babonneau tied with three points each, while Central Castries remains without points after the initial round of matches.