Farnham Roller Hockey Club’s under-17s have sealed the under-17 South Eastern Counties Rink Hockey Association league title.

The under-17s concluded their 2025-26 league campaign in front of a home crowd in Farnham in the final tournament of the season, with the title still on the line.

Sitting at the top of the table before play, Farnham knew they still needed a strong finish to secure first place.

The first game saw Herne Bay United give Farnham a fast-paced end-to-end battle. Herne Bay United took their chance first and scored with eight minutes to go in the first half.

A timeout, followed by continued pressure and two powerful goals by Kyle Piper before half-time, finally saw Farnham get the better of Herne Bay United's impressive goalkeeper.

The second half saw the same level of pace and determination. Both teams came out sharply after the break and were focused on the task at hand.

It took seven minutes before another goal was scored. This time Erin Lloyd made an interception and went on to score a top corner slapshot to put Farnham 3-1 up.

The third goal built the confidence in the Farnham team, who ran away with the game thanks to further goals from Thomas Broom, Ourson Beavis and Piper, who completed her hat-trick.

Although the final scoreline ended 6-1 in Farnham’s favour, this was by no means an easy start to the day.

Farnham wanted to continue their winning streak against second-placed Invicta. This game was equally as fast-paced and well-contested as the previous match against Herne Bay United.

The energy and effort that both teams put into the match was admirable. A physical game from the get-go, it took only six minutes for Invicta to go ahead with a mid-distance forehand slapshot.

Farnham needed to react, and Ourson Beavis took the initiative and set Kyle Piper up for a lovely goal.

The game was non-stop, with plenty of end-to-end action.

Further goals came from both sides despite some impressive goalkeeping. At half-time Farnham were 3-2 up, but the game was still very much in the balance.

The second half did not disappoint and the crowd were treated to an excellent display of roller hockey, with the cheers growing louder in Farnham Leisure Centre.

Farnham soon found themselves trailing 5-3 and the physicality of the game intensified.

Piper received a well-timed pass from Beavis and went one-on-one with the Invicta goalkeeper and scored to make it 5-4. Within a minute Thomas Broom had tapped the ball under Invicta’s goalkeeper to get Farnham back on level terms at 5-5.

Farnham then completed their comeback when Piper scored to put the home side 6-5 up. Two further goals from Piper saw Farnham win a highly-entertaining game 8-6.

Farnham coaches Isaac Waller and Callum Piper were immensely proud of the whole team’s efforts. All of Farnham’s players finished the season playing with their best efforts and an excellent attitude, showing impressive resilience to come from behind in both matches.

The coaches also highlighted Courtney’s exceptional goalkeeping across both matches. Her calm presence, quick reactions and superb positioning were vital in two physically-demanding games.

Farnham’s under-17s will compete in the league finals later this year, where they will face the top teams from the Northern and Eastern counties.

By Sarah Lloyd