Sanderstead cruised to a 5-0 victory over Barnes IIIs on Saturday as they opened their campaign in South League Surrey Division Two.

The hosts took a three-goal lead into the half-time break and added another two after the interval to seal the win.

Goals came from five different players, with captain Martyn Avery starting proceedings within minutes of the start.

He capitalised on an early short corner, sending a sweet strike beyond the Barnes keeper.

Centre forward Mark Hunnisett bagged the Millers’ second, turning sharply in the ‘D’ and shooting low into the bottom corner.

He came close to doubling his tally but was thwarted by a superb goal-line save by Barnes’ sweeper.

Emit Raja, making his league debut for Sanderstead, kept the scoreboard ticking over, capping a fine performance with a powerful drag flick at a penalty corner.

Barnes, meanwhile, offered little in the way of threat in their opponents’ circle, leaving Dan Pacitti with nothing to do in the Sanderstead goal.

In the second half, Raja saw another effort well saved at a set piece but co-defender Mark Bryan was on hand to collect the rebound and make it 4-0.

The Millers’ final goal came courtesy of an unstoppable reverse-stick shot from Denzil Dolley.

The other Sanderstead forwards, John Devaney and Richard Bruce came close to making the scoresheet but both failed at the crucial moment.

After the game, Avery said: “This is a fantastic start to the new season, and it gives us great confidence for our prospects of another promotion this year.

"Having five different names on the scoresheet illustrates the attacking strength of our squad, and keeping a clean sheet shows that our defence is gelling well at this early stage.”

Sanderstead’s second XI drew for the second week in succession, recording a 2-2 stalemate in a closely fought encounter with Guildford IVs.

While the third XI fell 4-2 against Old Kingstonians IIs, and the fourthth team made it two wins from two with an easy 4-1 win over neighbourhood rivals Kenley.

Any players interested in joining Sanderstead Hockey Club can contact Martyn Avery on 07968 973305 or visit www.sandersteadhockey.com for more information.