By Samuel Peters
Just a few points separate the top three teams in the standings of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association’s Premier League as the competition enters the sixth round. All three teams — All Saints United, Jennings Grenades and Villa Lions — won quite easily in their encounters on Saturday at the ABFA Technical Center. Raheem Deterville, notching up his second hat trick of the season, was certainly the highlight of the day along with a brace from Barrington Blake.
First match of the day’s tripleheader saw former Champions and strong contenders for the 2025-26 title Jennings Grenades collect another valuable three points off Ottos Rangers with a 5-2 victory over Ottos Rangers.
Blake announced his intentions early, opening the scoring in just the sixth minute to set the tone for what would become a commanding performance. Stanley Province doubled the advantage in the 13th minute, and Troy Jules extended the lead to 3-0 by the 20th minute, leaving Ottos Rangers reeling from the early onslaught.
The first half belonged entirely to Grenades, who went into the break with a comfortable cushion and complete control of the match. Rangers emerged from halftime with renewed determination, and Josue Arias pulled one back in the 48th minute to offer a glimmer of hope. Junior Benjamin added a second for Rangers in the 61st minute, suddenly making the scoreline 3-2 and injecting genuine tension into the contest.
However, any thoughts of a remarkable comeback were extinguished when Jevaughn Adams unfortunately scored an own goal in the 65th minute, restoring Grenades’ two-goal advantage. Blake then capped off an excellent individual performance with his second goal in the 90th minute, sealing the comprehensive 5-2 victory and confirming Grenades’ superiority on the day. The victory keeps them two points shy from the top with defending Champions All Saints United sitting on 18 points.
In the second fixture of the day, Aston Villa blanked John Hughes 3-0, and never allowed their opponents to establish any rhythm or create meaningful chances. The victors took their time to break down John Hughes’ defensive structure, with Kwame Kirby providing the breakthrough in the 29th minute to give his side a crucial lead heading into halftime. Then Jahlanie Barzey doubled the advantage in the 61st minute, only for Eroy Gonsalves to add a third in the 78th minute. The victory keeps them firmly in third with a five points gap.
The evening concluded with All Saints United drumming the home side Pigotts Bullet 4-1 behind another Deterville hat-trick who opened his account in the 28th minute, giving All Saints an early advantage that settled any nerves and allowed them to play with freedom. Kenduka Challenger doubled the lead in the 39th minute, ensuring All Saints went into halftime with a comfortable two-goal cushion. Pigotts Bullets refused to capitulate and fought back in the second half, with Kimon Harrigan reducing the deficit in the 61st minute to make it 2-1 and offer hope of a potential comeback. However, Deterville had other ideas, and restored the two-goal advantage with his second strike in the 74th and 90th minutes.
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