SOUTH AFRICAN Craig Peel bade his Fareham farewell in style, celebrating a hat-trick double as the Bath Lane club went on an 11-goal South Premier League bonanza.
Division 2 rivals Staines (5-1) and Tulse Hill & Dulwich (6-1) took a pounding as Fareham clinched a creditable final fourth place.
Peel, who flew home to his native Durban last night, notched his first hat-trick as Fareham turned on second half heat against Staines, with James Lawson and Scott Shirley added to the scoresheet.
He opened the scoring in Sunday's 6-1 demolition of Tulse Hill and went on to score twice more and end the season with 24 goals - a tally bettered only by fellow South African, Craig Carolan, who bagged 46 for Brighton & Hove.
Coach Nigel Cook had a special word of praise for teenage trio Rob O'Brien, Lee Milton and Sean Shilling as Fareham, with the aid of a Lawson brace and a single from Danny Makaruck, hit their South London rivals for six.
Fareham 2nd XI won 2-0 at Canterbury Pilgrims - Mark Dixon and Danny McInally got the goals - but Open Premier League, Division 1 safety will depend on the outcome of Purley's visit to the cathedral city on April 2.
If Purley beat Canterbury, Fareham will be relegated, but a draw or a home win will see Colin Bradbury's youngsters safe.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article