Eastbourne Borough booked their place in the Third Round of the Sussex Transport Senior Cup on Tuesday night.
Fletcher Holman scored five for the Sports as they saw off Billingshurst 6-0 at Priory Lane.
Decarrey Sheriff completed the scoring for Mark Beard’s men against the Southern Combination Division One outfit.
Beard rotated his squad for this Second Round tie, with Finn Holter deputising in goal amongst the six changes from the Sports’ loss at Taunton Town at the weekend.
Borough started on the front foot, with Alfie Bridgman’s inviting cross from the right somehow evading everyone before Ollie Courtney did well to palm away Decarrey Sheriff’s low drive from the edge of the box after good work from Holman down the left.
Ronnie Reeves then threatened for the visitors, but his strike whistled just wide of the top corner before Matt Rendell couldn’t get his shot away when well placed.
But the Sports eventually broke the deadlock after 21 minutes. Sheriff’s ball in from the left wasn’t cleared by the visitors and Holman rifled it home from ten yards.
Billy Vigar then had a shot well blocked, with Zak Emmerson firing wide from the rebound as Borough continued to press, and they doubled their lead seven minutes before the break.
Holman got in front of his marker to run onto Archie Procter’s ball over the top and one on one with Courtney slotted home.
It was almost 3-0 just before the break when Sheriff’s low ball in picked out Vigar just inside the area, but his first time effort curled just over the bar.
However, Holman completed his hat-trick within two minutes of the restart. Freddie Carter’s ball down the right played in Emmerson, who lifted it across to his strike partner at the far post who headed home to complete his first senior hat-trick.
And he didn’t have long to wait to add his and Borough’s fourth goal of the night. Yaser Kasim’s cross picked out Holman inside the area. With work to do, he took a touch to control the ball, another to flick it away from a defender before volleying into the top corner from twelve yards.
The Sports continued to press forwards, with Holman having another shot blocked before Vigar’s low effort was well saved by Courtney.
And the Billingshurst keeper did even better to deny the young Borough forward on the hour mark, turning his shot away after Holman did well to turn away from his marker.
But nothing would deny Holman adding his and the hosts’ fifth goal of the tie midway through the second half.
Carter’s ball down the right put the Borough Academy product through on goal, and after cutting past a defender he took it past Courtney before firing into the empty net.
There was no let up from the Sports, though. Sheriff was denied by the crossbar with a stinging effort from 25 yards, before the winger added a sixth twelve minutes from time.
Driving inside from the right, Sheriff played a neat one-two with Emmerson before firing low past Courtney and into the bottom corner from 18 yards out.
Borough were then dealt a scare with ten minutes to go when Finn Holter’s loose pass almost allowed Reeves to score a consolation for Billingshurst, but Michael Olarewaju was on the line to block his effort.
It then could’ve been seven for Borough late on, when Bridgman beat his man down the left but only to see Courtney turn his low effort against the near post and clear.