Gloucester boss Nigel Melville tonight hailed Marcel Garvey as "a special talent" after seeing the teenage wing blitz Bristol Shoguns with a stunning Zurich Premiership hat-trick.

Two of Garvey's three tries were spectacular solo efforts as Gloucester returned to the Premiership summit with an emphatic 45-18 victory over West Country rivals Bristol at Kingsholm.

It was Garvey's first start in Gloucester colours on home soil, and his impact was immediate as he caused havoc for the Shoguns defence all afternoon.

"He is a special talent," Melville said. "He has got incredible pace and power - he is so very strong.

"His step and his balance means that he can move forward with incredible power, and I am just glad that he is wearing a Gloucester shirt."

Garvey, just 19, added: "The first try was the best of the three because I had to stretch my legs and beat a few players, but more importantly, it was another win for the club."

Gloucester's fourth successive league victory opened up a clear gap between themselves and their title rivals, but Melville was predictably reluctant to get carried away after the Cherry & Whites scored six tries and claimed a bonus point.

He reflected: "Things have gone well today, but we are only four games into the season and there is a long way to go."

Bristol coach Peter Thorburn paid tribute to Gloucester, although the Shoguns were not helped by first-half injuries to skipper Ross Beattie and their New Zealand centre Daryl Gibson on his debut.

"We didn't play well enough to win, although we were in the game for 65 minutes.

"It is a case of back to the drawing board, if it is still there.

"Gloucester are such a technically sound side with quality players who can turn errors into points, but you cannot expect to win a game when you lose key players like Ross Beattie and Daryl Gibson."

Thorburn described Gibson as being dazed, while Beattie suffered a tendon problem and departed after just six minutes.

Apart from Garvey, Junior Paramore, Ludovic Mercier and Jake Boer scored tries, while Mercier also added 15 points from the boot.

For Bristol, wing Brendon Daniel and lock Garath Archer claimed touchdowns, with the remainder of their points being kicked by fly-half Felipe Contepomi.