Trojans are within three wins of a remarkable South Central Hockey League clean sweep after winning all 19 matches and plundering 90 goals in the process.
It means a long awaited return next autumn to England Hockey's national league after a 30-year absence. The club was playing on grass surfaces at Stoneham Lane the last time they rubbed shoulders with the country's elite stickmen.
Trojans sank as low as the Hampshire League before beginning its gradual climb towards the Western Conference next term.
Ben Frost, who has been playing for Trojans since he was 15 years of age, has scored on 22 occasions, one less than lead marksman Oakley Sparsholt Thompson.
Back (from left): Paul Oakley, Chris Pearl, Oakley Sparshott Thompson, Ewan Bagwell, Will Hart, Richard Aves, Finley Scott, Richard Roberts, 
Front: Theo Beech, Khai-Rien Wong, Toby Roberts, Ben Frost, Sam MacKenzie, Will Strange, Giles Hocking.​

Havant have their first South League point on the board after a 3-3 draw with Richmond, who clawed back a two-goal deficit with a second half brace.
Winchester raised Harry Trussler (left) put Richmond ahead only to see giant Ukrainian  Viacheslav Pazick level from a penalty corner. 
Two goals in three minutes by Rory Jack and George Davey put Havant 3-1 up, only for Scott Wall to convert a penalty stroke and Matt Leigh equalise three minutes from time. 

​Outplayed for large chunks of the opening session, Fareham regrouped to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 victory over West Conference rivals Isca at Henry Cort.
Ben Randell got Fareham on the scoresheet in the 25th minutes, but by then South African playmakers Jad and Jos Smith had scored twice for the Exeter club and were generally running the show.   
But Kieran Page's [left] equalising strike four minutes before the half-time break turned the match on its head.
Kiwi Tom Grant converted a penalty corner to give Fareham a 3-2 lead which Chris Tagg repeated late on to make it 4-2. 
The win will give Fareham confidence ahead of Sunday's lunchtime match against Clifton Robinsons, who share the West leaderboard with 14 points alongside Chichester.
Three unanswered first half goals paved the way to Chichester's 4-0 win over Ashmoor, the result  keeping the West Sussex club top of England Hockey's West Conference.
Luke Emmett's seventh minute penalty stroke  gave Chichester an early lead, which Tom Hayes and Matty Bell extended before half-time.  Alex Baxter completed the scoring.

Oakley Sparshott-Thompson scored twice in quick succession immediately before half-time to seal a 3-0 win for South Central Division table toppers Trojans at Reading.   Trojans, who enjoyed a two-point lead over Staines at the half-term break, earlier took the lead through Giles Hocking. 
Neighbours Winchester were 4-0 down to an Alfie Richards hat-trick when they eventually hit the Haslemere backboards at King's.  A late brace by Sam Goacher cut the final score to 4-2.​

​Phil Larcombe capped a fine individual display by scoring Fareham's second half winner in the 3-2 West Conference victory over previously unbeaten Ashmoor at Henry Cort.
His crucial 50th minute strike came as Fareham were busy repelling increased Ashmoor pressure, the South Devon visitors converting only one of their seven second half penalty corners.
Fareham snatched an early lead through Ben Randell but, continuing to give the ball away, allowed Ashmoor to equalise through Theo Bennett.
Kiwi Tom Randall restored Fareham's lead minutes before half-time and then scored a crucial third goal through Larcombe.
It was all hands to the pump when Ben Barnett cut the gap to 3-2 three minutes later, but a series of fine saves by goalkeeper Alex White and Ashmoor's profligate short corner work enabled Fareham to record a key win. 

Oli Pemble [left] grabbed a late winner to get Fareham of the mark in the West Conference - his goal, two minutes from time, clinching a 2-1 victory over Team Bath Buccaneers and lifting them off the bottom of the table.
Christian Moody converted an early corner for Bath, whose lead was cancelled out on the stroke of half-time by Barrett, right above.  An even contest swung back and forth before Pemble struck.  Goalkeeper Alex White took the MoM award, while Zak Way and young Kiwi Jayden Conn caught the eye.
Chichester twice took the lad, initially through Alex Baxter then Ben Parnham, but had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Bristol University.
Morgan Sturt scored a last minute goal for Havant, who lost 2-1 at South League rivals Old Loughtonians.​

​Ben Frost converted three penalty corners as Trojans blasted South Central Division rivals Basingstoke 8-0, four goals coming in each half. 
Ahead after four minutes through Sam MacKenzie, Trojans went 3-0 up through two Frost short corners and turned around 4-0 ahead courtesy of Giles Hocking.  Frost completed his hat-trick after the break before Will Strange, Oakley Sparshott-Thompson and Hocking completed the rout.
Sam Bury gave Bournemouth a early lead before Staines ran out 4-1 winners, while Ed Palmer's late consolation goal put Fareham on the scoresheet in a 2-1 defeat by South Berkshire at Wokingham.

Former South Africa international Craig Peel, left, has been appointed Fareham head coach and celebrated his Henry Cort return with a brace in the 3-1 South Central Division win over Slough.
Wickham cricket run scoring ace Peter Gwynn scored Fareham's third to seal the victory.
A 25th minute penalty corner conversion by Sam MacKenzie gave Trojans the lift to win 3-1 at Amersham & Chalfont, where second half strikes by Oakley Sparshott-Thompson and Ewan Bagnall settled it.
Sam Bury got Bournemouth's goal in a 2-1 loss at Reading, while Winchester shared the spoils in a six-goal fest with Staines. Will Leyland, George Allmark and  Ben Hibberd put Winchester 3-1 up at one stage.
Portsmouth launched their Division 2 season with Ben Lewis and Dan Kemp scoring in a 2-0 win over visiting Bicester.

CHICHESTER
Standing (from left): Luke Emmett, Oscar Pacey, Louis Gibbons, Josh Brown, Alex Thakore, Rob Forrest, Jason Collins. Front: Matt Bell, Charlie Gibbons, Ben Parnham, Tom Spooner, Josh Steel, Alex Baxter, James Davies. Absent: goalkeeper Chris Bristow.

Josh Brown converted four penalty corners and Josh Steel and Tom Spencer scored twice each as rampant Chichester went on a nine-goal scoring spree against depleted England Hockey West Conference neighbors Fareham.
The 9-1 margin of victory was Chichester’s best yet and, correspondingly Fareham’s heaviest defeat.
Alex Bennett set the ball rolling with an eighth minute opener, which Brown doubled before the first quarter break.  By half-time, Chichester, in total control, were 3-0 up with Steel scoring from open play.
With half their normal league team absent, Fareham were never in the contest, Steel scoring a fourth before Brown converted a trio of short corners.
A Tom Spooner brace had Chichester eying double figures before Oli Pemble scored Fareham’s consolation goal in added time.
Chichester host Exeter University at the College on Sunday, 2pm, while Fareham head west to Bristol University.

Salisbury are back in South Central's Division I South, with promotion now guaranteed at the end of this season, and their position as league champions secured. 
Back in September and the start of the hockey calendar, Salisbury  knew they had a lot to prove. Relegated to Division II South following a tough 2022-23, the club's sights were set firmly on storming the season to re-establish their place back in Division I.  
And they did just that. Losing just three games of 21 played this year, and now clear of their nearest competitor by six points, with one game to play they can sit back and enjoy their final game against United Services Portsmouth in a couple of weeks' time.

Basingstoke is celebrating following the completion of a new state of the art hockey pitch at Down Grange, one is the first of its kind in the country.
Work started in January to replace the council-owned pitch and now it is finished users of the facility, which include Basingstoke Hockey Club, can’t wait to start playing on the new surface.
With 22 teams and nearly 500 members, the club is one of the biggest in the country, including 13 adult teams, junior teams and players playing in their 60s.
The hockey club and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have helped to ensure that members will have access to the latest hockey technology, raising the standard for the sport at Down Grange.
It has now adopted an AstroTurf surface, the same which will be used at the Paris Olympics this year.
The Poligras Paris GT zero pitch has been funded by the borough council, and a club spokesperson commended the authority for its 'unwavering enthusiasm and commitment to the growth of hockey has helped to pave the way for this ground-breaking project'.
The decision to install the innovative pitch surface was driven to provide players and teams in the town with a world-class facility that enhances performance, safety and playing experience.
Chair of Basingstoke Hockey Club, Claire Bowman, said: "Our wonderful club is so excited to be the first in the UK to have this Olympic level playing surface, it will provide our members and the local Basingstoke and Deane community with the ultimate sports facility and we are so grateful to the council for supporting the club’s continued development.