SAM Surridge bagged his second hat-trick in two matches as Cherries under-21s swept to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Bristol Rovers.

Surridge signed a fresh 18-month contract in January and has been training regularly with Eddie Howe’s first team. Cherries boss Howe told the Daily Echo earlier this month that his faith in the teenage striker had convinced him to sanction Lewis Grabban’s loan move to Reading.

And after Surridge’s treble downed Peterborough a fortnight ago, he was at it again in his team's Central League contest yesterday. He twice came close to putting Cherries in front during the opening exchanges, first striking wide after being fed by Charlie Seaman, then being denied by the Rovers goalkeeper after good work by Jordan Green.

Surridge finally made the breakthrough when he met midfielder Matt Worthington’s 25th-minute free-kick to bury a close-range header. Romanian attacker Mihai Dobre saw a shot thump into a post shortly before half-time but Surridge pounced again 10 minutes after the restart, leaping to head home Green’s cross.

And when Green was upended in the box on 63 minutes, Surridge stroked home the penalty to complete his latest three-goal haul.

Cherries starting XI: Stanton, Seaman, Hobson, Simpson, Harfield, Green, Vincent, Worthington, Dobre, Surridge, Ndjoli.