Ide Hill avenged last year’s semi-final cup loss by despatching rivals Ightham with ease on Saturday in the Sevenoaks Senior Charity Cup.
Missing numerous players due to injury and suspension, Ide Hill’s squad was relatively thin in comparison to normal, with Jack Heasmann called up from the reserves in to the heart of the defence and club stalwart Bazil Pennells, making his first appearance of the season from the bench.
Always a game which contains a degree of needle, Ide Hill started fast in an attempt to put Ightham away early and took the lead within 10 minutes; a Columb Grant corner was helped on at the near post and tucked away by centre half Luke Steggles for his second of the season.
Ide Hill doubled their lead minutes later, Craig Jackson surging into the box and cutting back to Grant, who volleyed into the far corner from 18 yards.
Ide Hill then made it three on the hour as wing back Sam Heasmann slipped Matt Bunn through on the left, who slotted beneath the onrushing Ightham goalkeeper.
George Kensell then took centre stage to register a brilliant hat trick to take the game away from the opposition. His first arrived when a Rob Piper cross resulted in a goalmouth scramble; the ball falling Kensell’s way in the box, allowing him to slot into the corner. His second came via a long range shot, fired across the keeper and into the side netting from 20 yards. He saved the best for last though in his man of the match performance; substitute Pennells crossing to him from the right, which Kensell met on the volley from 18 yards.
Pennells then arguably topped all of the goals, receiving the ball 25 yards out in the centre and hitting an unstoppable strike into the top corner for number seven. Bunn rounded things off by scoring his own and taking his tally to seven for the season; he ran the ball to the edge of the box on the right and whipped a fierce low strike across the goalkeeper and into the corner for eight.
Ightham managed a late consolation, a left footed free kick curled round the wall and into the bottom corner to finish the scoring at
8-1.
So Ide Hill go into the next round; next week they have more cup commitments facing Cuxton in the Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield before returning to league action.
Incidentally, they are now only three points clear at the top with one game in hand over second place, as Chipstead beat title rivals Sydenham Sports to tighten everything up even further at the top of the table.
