South Central Hockey is delighted to announce a new partnership with Indoor Hockey UK, which will see IHUK organise and deliver the South Central indoor hockey clubs programme, effective immediately.
Under the new structure, Indoor Hockey UK will take responsibility for administering fixtures, venues, results, and competition logistics for South Central’s club competitions. South Central Hockey will continue to work closely with IHUK to support participating clubs and promote the growth of the indoor game across the area.
The first part of the short season is now complete.
Below is a summary of the events:
Under 16
The 2025 South Central Area Sixes delivered a superb day of junior indoor hockey at King Edward VI School, Southampton, on Sunday 7 December. With Under 16 Boys and Girls teams from across the South Central area competing in fast-paced round-robin tournaments, the event showcased outstanding skill, scoring power, and rising talent across both competitions.
Girls Competition: Reading dominate with attacking masterclass
The Under 16 Girls section produced a high-scoring display across six matches, with Reading emerging as the standout side of the entire day. They opened their campaign with a commanding 7–1 win over Trojans, combining tight pressing with clinical finishing.
Winchester got off to a strong start with a 3–1 victory over Marlow, but the tone of the tournament shifted once more when Reading delivered back-to-back goal-laden performances, defeating Marlow 11–0 and Winchester 11–1. Their movement, accuracy, and composure created clear daylight in the results table between them and the chasing pack.
Trojans recovered from their opening defeat with an impressive 6–1 win over Winchester and followed it up with an 8–0 victory over Marlow to secure second place.
Despite battling hard, Marlow were unable to turn their chances into results, but their determination remained unquestioned throughout.
Final impressions: Reading completed the event unbeaten, scoring a remarkable 29 goals across just three matches. Trojans showed character in their comeback performances, while Winchester and Marlow added competitive energy to a highly entertaining tournament.
Boys Competition: Trojans edge a fiercely contested round robin
The three-team Boys competition was equally thrilling, featuring end-to-end play and a total of 33 goals across three matches.
Trojans opened the tournament with a powerful 7–3 win over Winchester, leveraging their speed and sharp finishing to establish early control. Their form continued in a tightly fought contest against Reading, where Trojans’ clinical edge secured a 6–4 victory.
Reading entered their final match determined to finish strongly — and they did so emphatically. A 9–4 win over Winchester showcased their attacking flair and ensured they finished with a positive goal difference and a strong statement performance.
Winchester, despite finishing without a win, contributed significantly to the open, attacking nature of the competition and demonstrated promise in the final third.
Final impressions: Trojans’ consistency across both matches secured them the top spot, with Reading finishing second thanks to a superb final outing. All three sides delivered fast, exciting hockey that kept spectators engaged throughout.
Under 18
Boys
The South Central area was alive with fast-paced indoor action today as Indoor Hockey UK hosted the Under 18 Boys South Central Area Sixes, delivering a thrilling day of high-scoring fixtures and standout individual performances. Across three matches, the competing clubs showcased impressive skill, resilience, and attacking flair—but it was Trojans who rose above the rest to claim the top spot and secure their place at the England Hockey U18 National Finals.
The day opened with an explosive encounter between Trojans and Marlow, setting the tempo for the competition. Trojans’ sharp finishing saw them pull ahead, but Marlow stayed in the contest with determined counterattacks. Despite the pressure, Trojans maintained control and closed out an entertaining 8–5 victory, giving them early momentum.
Marlow returned to the court in the second match, this time against Winchester.. The attacking rotations clicked into gear, and they capitalised to secure a 7–4 win. Winchester battled hard and produced spells of strong possession but ultimately couldn’t overturn Marlow’s lead.
The final fixture pitted Winchester against Trojans, with the latter knowing that a win would secure the overall title. Trojans wasted no time stamping their authority on the match. Swift breakaways and confident finishing turned pressure into goals. A dominant display saw Trojans claim a 10–2 victory, sealing their unbeaten run and confirming them as South Central Area Sixes champions.
Girls
While the boys’ competition delivered an exciting showcase, the Under 18 Girls South Central event unfortunately could not proceed as scheduled. With only one team - Reading U18 Girls - entered, the event was unable to run. As a result, Reading will progress automatically as the South Central representative to the England Hockey U18 National Finals, taking place on Sunday 25 January.
Both Trojans U18 Boys and Reading U18 Girls will now go forward to the National Finals, where they will compete against the country’s strongest indoor sides. After today’s performances and outcomes, the South Central Area will be well represented as the teams aim for national success.
Women’s
Women's area sixes took place at Sir William Borlase's School in Marlow. With an early start and late finish Oxford Hawks Hockey Club, Fareham Hockey Club, Trojans Hockey Winchester Hockey Club Marlow Hockey Club Army Hockey Association all played with high skill levels. The long distance travelled by players, coaches, Management, and Officials is greatly appreciated and we thank you for the efforts made by clubs to make this tournament exciting.
A small local crowd added to the atmosphere. Many games were close fought, but it became clear after 3 rounds that the Army Hockey Association where talented, fit and strong, and Marlow Hockey Club was fast and equally talented. Both teams had top coaches running the substitutions. So it was game 13 where these two 100% teams met to decide the tournament winner. Marlow had the edge going into the with a superior goal difference, which meant Army Hockey Association had to win to take the title.
Marlow scored first to set the local crowd alight, but in the second half Army equalised. Army Keeper had to make two penalty saves to stay in the game and pressed to get the result and with 2 minutes left pulled their keeper to add another player.
This pressed Marlow back, however, on a breakaway they almost put the ball in the unguarded goal on two occasions, but the sprinting forward could not quite flatten her stick to tap home from 1 meter.
It did not matter, though, as the final score was 1-1, which left Marlow Hockey Club as tournament winners.
Full details are in the match center: https://www.indoorhockey.uk/events/sca/2025/wmen
Open/Men
The 10 top South Central clubs fielded an Open/Men's team for the Tournament played at King Edward VI Winchester.
Two pools of 5 clubs were topped by Oxford Hawks and Banbury.
Oxford Hawks topped pool A on 10 points and a superior goal difference to Trojans, who finished second also with 10 points. Similarly, Banbury also topped pool B with 10 points and the best goal difference ahead of Havant, also on 10 points.
The Gold medal match was between Banbury and Oxford Hawks. Banbury running out as winners 6-2
https://www.indoorhockey.uk/events/sca/2025/mens/standings
Next stop: Div 2 Super 6 this January, exciting times ahead for South Central teams.