Jonte Smith, the Bermuda striker, claimed the match ball after netting a third hat-trick of the season at the weekend to keep Finnish club PS Kemi Kings firmly on course for Kakkonen North League honours.

The 20-year-old converted in the 16th, 49th and 68th minutes as the home side had things all their own way in an emphatic 6-1 drubbing of relegation threatened PK-37 at Sauvosaaren urheilupuisto on Sunday.

Smith got the ball rolling when he opened the scoring with a curling right-footed effort from inside the penalty area after catching the goalkeeper off his line.

He then extended the host side’s lead early in the second half when he stooped low to powerfully head a cross from the left past the goalkeeper at the near post.

Smith completed his treble from the penalty spot after the visitors committed a foul in the area, stroking the ball just beyond the goalkeeper’s reach to take his season tally to 15.

“Scoring a hat-trick in football is always a special occasion, and I’ve been fortunate enough to score three this year,” said Smith of his latest goal scoring exploits.

“I’m very happy to have scored another hat-trick and hopefully there is more to come.”

Smith’s strike partners Billy Ions, who bagged a brace, and Saša Jovivic were also on target for the Kings who are now unbeaten in four matches. PK-37 replied through a late consolation from Finnish striker Anssi Lipponen.

“We played really well as a team and it was one our better performances in terms of our movement of the ball and out passing,” Smith added.

“It was one of those days where everyone on our team played well and we reaped the rewards.”

The Kings’ win, their thirteenth of the season, enabled them to put more breathing space between themselves and nearest rivals AC Kajaani who surrendered precious ground on the league leaders after losing 2-0 against fourth placed OPS the day before.

“We went into the game knowing that our closest competitions AC Kajaani had lost the day before,” Smith said. “So for us it was a chance to gain a bigger lead on them in the table and we took full advantage of it.

“We just need to make sure that we win our next couple of games and hopefully increase our lead at the top of the table.”

The Kings presently hold a four-point advantage over Kajaani and also have a superior goal difference than their nearest rivals. Smith and his team-mates will now look to make further inroads towards the championships and promotion when they travel to bottom team OLS on Sunday.

Despite their home side’s lowly position in the league, Smith is not taking anything for granted.

“We can’t take any game lightly at this stage of the season,” he said.

“We’re playing away from home and will treat it like any other match.

“It’s a game where we are expected to win and the other team has nothing to lose, which can be dangerous at times.”

He added: “We’ve stayed at the top of the table for some time now, and the whole team wants to keep our place there.

“We feel that’s where we belong and where we deserve to be because of the way we’ve performed and worked hard as a team this season.”