FOUR successive wins and 20 goals in the back of the opposition net adds up to a pretty impressive opening month of the season for table-topping Trojans.

But the undefeated Hants/Surrey Regional League leaders were way below their best in beating Andover 3-1 in the top v bottom duel at Chalton.

"Our respective positions in the league suggested we only had to turn up to win - but it never works out like that and nor should it," said Trojans skipper Campbell Williams.

"Andover were a far better side than their league position suggests and we didn't play anywhere near as well as we had done."

Trojans were distinctly poor in the first half and were relieved to turn round 2-1 ahead with man-of-the-match Craig Sommerville deflecting the visitors ahead a minute before the break.

Wayne Shepherd gave Trojans an early lead, but Andover - still without a point after four weeks - deservedly levelled through Andy Winnett from a short corner.

"Craig certainly settled a few nerves with that timely goal and once we got ourselves 3-1 in front, there was only one outcome," Williams added.

Veteran Mark Ellis got the third goal ten minutes after the break and Trojans passed the ball more coherently once they got that two-goal cushion.

The win left Trojans two points clear of second-placed Bournemouth, who won 3-2 at Epsom.

But Saturday's clash against Woking at Stoneham Lane (1.30pm) has all the ingredients of a six-pointer, with the Surrey club in third spot.

Woking doubled their season's goal tally with a 4-1 win over Hamble Old Boys, who paid the penalty for wastefulness in front of goal.

"We were punished for our failure to convert chances, whereas Woking were slick and very effective with their short corners," confessed skipper Paul Barber.

Woking, runners-up last term, took an early lead from a penalty corner, but Hamble had several opportunities to equalise, with Duncan Marsh, Dave Foster and Steve Barber all denied.

But it was Woking who crashed in, scoring either side of the break to establish a 3-0 lead either side of a brilliant save from goalkeeper Steven Chalcraft.

Hamble got themselves back in the match from Marsh's penalty flick and might have cut the gap still further but for an amazing save from the Woking keeper.

Kyle Stubly rallied the Old Boys, who threw everything forward in the closing stages, only for Woking to score a fourth!

Two Nick Tout penalty flicks and a brace of short corner conversions by Merijn van Willigen earned youthful Winchester a 4-2 win over London Edwardians at Battersea.

Winchester trailed at half-time, levelled through Tout's initial penalty - Greg Cox was upended - and then forged a 3-1 lead with Adie Adams and Charlie Swann injecting corners for van Willigen's brace.

Goalkeeper Craig Falkingham produced several good saves but was unable to prevent an Edwardians second midway through the period. When the impressive Mark Dobbie was fouled in the D, Tout stepped up to make the game safe for Winchester with a second penalty.

Matt Sykes found himself omitted from Trojans' visit to Andover, but dropped Stoneham selectors a timely reminder of his goalscoring prowess with a hat-trick in the 5-0 Second XI Regional League drubbing of Southampton.

The Loughborough University graduate fired Trojans ahead after just two minutes and then sat back to watch Michael Stitches score a superb solo second.

Sykes went on to complete his hat-trick after the break, with Harry Ward also netting.

Newly-promoted Trojans have got their first point in the EHA Women's League Premier Division - but any confidence they gleaned from a 2-2 draw at Chelmsford was shattered 24 hours later by a 6-1 scolding from Fyffes Leicester.

The results left Trojans still bottom and in desperate need of a win against fellow strugglers Hightown (Liverpool) at Wellington on Saturday (1.30pm).

"Hightown's visit marks the halfway point in the league programme and it will do the girls a power of good if they can win that game and re-start the season after Christmas away from bottom place," said manager Louise Carter.

The unusually early mid-season break comes in mid-November to allow England's top players time to prepare for the World Cup in Perth, Western Australia.

Trojans teenage starlet Alex Danson is in England's 18-strong party for the month-long tournament.

Ironically, Danson didn't get on the scoresheet at the weekend.

Instead, it was the quiet and unassuming Nadine Devereux who cancelled out Chelmsford's fifth-minute penalty corner opener from Kirsty Smith.

Lucy Unwin set up the Trojans equaliser with a superb ball down the left which found Devereux, who calmly beat the keeper.

Trojans dominated the second period and appeared on course for a desperately-needed first win when Alison Wakefield made it 2-1 from a penalty stroke. But all their efforts proved to no avail when Lisa Wooding equalised from a 64th-minute penalty.

That Chelmsford goal clearly had a demoralising effect on Trojans, who found Leicester a real banana skin in Sunday's galeforce winds and collapsed to a 6-1 defeat.

Trojans were buoyant when Kath James wiped out Jennie Brimson's early strike.

But it was all downhill after that, with England's Helen Richardson totally dominating from midfield.

Leicester forged a 3-1 interval lead through Anne Panter and Cathy Gilliat-Smith, and ran out easy winners, with Justine Williams, Chrissy Cullen and Parys Edwards adding to Trojans' woe.

Southampton Women pulled off a splendid 1-0 win at Teddington, last year's runaway Division 2 champions, who began proceedings two places above them in the South League log.

Although Southampton began crisply, it needed some fine saves by Linda Dunham to keep Teddington at bay.

The winner came ten minutes into the second half when Nicky Page controlled a short corner and picked out Vicky Nicol to score from close range.

Teddington forced two late penalty corners, but Dunham and her defenders held firm to secure a vital victory.

CALLING ALL HOCKEY CLUBS - who has been your top player in October?

The person who's scored the most goals, a creative midfielder, a resolute defender, or the goalkeeper?

The Daily Echo wants to know because we've once again teamed up with Cricket-Hockey.co.uk - the Fordingbridge-based equipment specialists - to make a monthy award to the area's top player.

The winner, to be chosen from your nominations, will receive a brand new Kookaburra hockey stick, courtesy of Cricket-Hockey.co.uk.

Send your nominations to mike.vimpany@btinternet.com without delay!