Stirring second half of the season fires Leamington to promotion

The introduction of midfielders Alex Palmer and Oliver Hopley provided the catalyst for a run of eight wins from their last nine games, with man-of-the-match Dan Jones again leading the scoring in the thrashing of Kidderminster.

Captain Matt Wright paid tribute to his side, saying: “Nobody can say that we haven’t deserved title success this season.

“We have a great team spirit, had great commitment and availability but most importantly have played the best hockey a second XI side has put together for some time.”

Leamington Ladies 2nds, meanwhile, escaped relegation by a mere point after overcoming Solihull Blossomfield Ladies 2nds in their final Warwickshire Division One match.

Leamington started the day in the relegation zone but showed no signs of nerves as goals from Debbie Burton, Nic Williams and Laura Brennan earned them a 3-0 success.

A walkover victory over Olton & West Warwicks helped Khalsa finish their inaugural Conference North campaign in fourth, prompting chairman Narinderpal Singh to pay tribute to former Great Britain star Scott Cordon.

“Khalsa Hockey Club is a very small club and to achieve such a big success is amazing,” said Birdi. “Coach Scott Cordon and all the young squad have been amazing and their success has rubbed off at all the teams within the club.”

Khalsa 2nds concluded their season with a wins at Bournville (5-0) and Edgbaston (3-1). Skipper Andrew Pell scored five of the eight goals for Khalsa who finished just outside the Midlands Division One promotion spots.

Khalsa 3rds secured promotion to West Midlands Premier Division after an 8-1 win over Hampton-in-Arden.

Warwick were relegated from Midlands Division One after a 6-2 defeat to North Staffs.

Steven Cooke and Neil McLester scored the Warwick goals.