Leverstock Green suffered their worst defeat for eight years as Oxhey Jets ran riot at Pancake Lane on Saturday.

Steve Benitez was without five of his first choice players for this game through either injury or unavailability, including three of the back four. In their place came Dean Kemp and Brad Holt, with only one previous start each between them, and Tom Proudlock, a youngster making his debut. It proved to be a bridge too far against a bang in-form Jets side who could have scored many more than the seven they put on the board.

They opened the scoring in the 9th minute when the ball was given away to Lewis Putman, who was allowed to run on without a challenge before hitting a shot from the edge of the box that Green keeper Tom Coulton could have done better with.

A shot from Putman was cleared off the line three minutes later, but Oxhey didn't have to wait much longer to increase their lead. A 17th minute corner was headed away by Adam Hallissey, but only as far as the edge of the box, where Danny Tilbury met it with a looping shot into the corner of the net. Within a minute it was 3-0 as Putman crossed for Ian Bywater to score with a diving header.

On 25 minutes it was 4-0 as Gavin Hart shot home in off the bar from a goalmouth scramble following a corner. At this stage, with the Oxhey side finding their way through the Green defence almost at will, it looked like being a very long afternoon for Leverstock and their supporters. However, the Green side settled a little after this and got to the break without conceding any more. They should have pulled a goal back on 34 minutes when Brad Wadkins combined with Curt Dizon before crossing to the far post, where Tobi Akin headed over from close range.

Any hopes of an unlikely Green revival were extinguished just four minutes into the second half when it was all too easy for Putman again to turn and shoot home a fifth goal for Oxhey.

Reserve team top scorer Craig Sharples came off the bench, as did another debutant Tom Banbury, and the two combined to pull a goal back for Leverstock in the 71st minute. Wadkins played a through ball to Banbury, who knocked it across goal for Sharples to net his first goal for the first team from close range.

However, Oxhey picked up the pace again towards the end of the game, with Lee Inch going through to shoot home the sixth in the 85th minute. In stoppage time Kemp brought down Inch inside the box, and Putman completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to add the seventh.

Oxhey were an impressive side who certainly lived up to their top-three placing, but it was for too easy for them against a Leverstock side that, even allowing for the depletion of the squad, gave an inadequate performance. Much better will be required on Tuesday night when they visit Colney Heath in the second round of the Challenge Trophy.