Hamble shattered Trojans' dreams of being crowned unbeaten Hampshire/Surrey Regional League champions with a vital play-off boosting 2-1 win at Satchell Lane.

The result means that Trojans still require another six points from their remaining three games to clinch the title.

But it gives Hamble's prospects of playing South Premier League hockey next autumn a huge boost.

Whereas Trojans will surely win the championship in the next three weeks - they entertain Southampton before travelling to London Wayfarers and Old Cranleighans - Hamble must ensure they make it 11 wins on the trot by nailing Old Whitgiftians and Old Kingstonians.

"We're mindful that Epsom are only two points behind us with a superior goal difference, but that play-off spot is now within touching distance and we don't intend to let it go now," said Hamble manager Chris Marsh.

It was Marsh's eldest son, Duncan who scored Hamble's opener in a tough, often frenitic derby against Trojans, who had won 3-2 at Stoneham Lane in late November.

He broke the deadlock in a typically tight affair with a screaming shot past Steve Cole, which followed a surging run into the Trojans half by the influential Egyptian Ezz.

International colleague Hamoza broke his finger soon afterwards but Rory Marsh, his replacement, almost broke through twice before Hamble old boy, Paul Hilton marked his Satchell Lane return with an equaliser.

Trojans' joy was short lived - Ezz hitting Hamble's winner after a stunning surge down the inside-left channel.

Only goal difference - albeit a significant 12 - now stands between Trojans and Hamble, who are level on 50 points.

Poor Southampton - battling to preserve their new found Regional League status - fear they could catch a Trojans backlash at Stoneham Lane on Saturday.

They have already been beaten 10-2 by Trojans this season, but they are battling hard - as their 2-1 success against Winchester showed.

Goals by teenager Alex Tong and Neil Hanley, either side of an Andy Winnett equaliser, punished profligate Winchester and lifted Southampton off the second from bottom spot.

Four-goal Craig Peel sank PHC Chiswick to end a sequence of five successive defeats which threatened to leave Fareham in lower mid-table South Premier League, Division 2 mediocrity.

The South African Under-21 international scored with two searing reverse stick shots as Fareham bagged four first-half goals before going on to win 5-1.

Peel added two more to his account either side of a smart "training ground" routine strike by teenager James Lawson, which left Chiswick embroilled in a relegation scrap with Maidenhead.

Fareham 2nd XI's three-match winning streak was ended when England Under-16 starlet Steve Batten scored Havant II's 1-0 winner.

Trojans meet Havant and City of Portsmouth take on Hamble in next month's Hampshire Cup semi-finals.