ITCHEN have reached the halfway point of the Hampshire Sixth Form Colleges season with everything to play for, both at county and at national level.

Champions for the past seven seasons, Itchen trail season-long leaders Peter Symonds by seven points with two matches in hand, writes Mike Vimpany.

In the British Colleges Cup, their reward for a thumping 17-0 win over Cheltenham & Stroud last week is a home tie with Reigate at Middle Road on January 13.

Itchen will fancy their chances of winning this lop-sided national competition, which Brockenhurst won without breaking much sweat last season, but they face a potentially far trickier path if they are to win the Hampshire Peter Munro Cup.

They face a difficult second round away day at Brockenhurst sometime next month and, if they win that, have drawn Peter Symonds in the semi’s.

On the other side of the PMC draw, Farnborough will be hot favourites to beat Queen Mary’s College.

Peter Symonds have already beaten Itchen twice in the league this season and James Taylor’s teenagers will need a helping hand from at least one of the other colleges if their stranglehold in the HCL title is to extend to an amazing eighth successive year.

PSC would have fancied another win themselves in midweek but, while goal happy Itchen were putting nine past Andover, the Winchester youngsters had their scheduled match against basement side South Downs at Farlington waterlogged off.

Itchen made hay, with Liam Attrill and Jack Wilson each scoring twice, and Jack Burrows, Harry Harris, Sam Steel, Braydon Douglas one each, plus an own goal.

Barton Peveril’s visit to Farnborough was called off.

Gosport & Fareham are the lone local standard bearers after Southampton Boys were knocked out of the English Schools FA Under-15 PlayStation Trophy.

While little Gosport, one of the country’s smallest associations, were thrashing South London, Southampton – one of the largest – tumbled to a 2-1 defeat by Bristol & South Gloucestershire.

Harry Preston was the hat-trick hero of Gosport’s 5-1 romp.

He hit the winner in the opening round victory over ESFA Cup holders Aldershot & Farnborough and hit the target against on the windswept Bay House Cocked Hat Playing Fields.

A Jack Van Der Lugt double, coupled with a strike by Preston, gave G & F a 3-1 half-time lead, which Preston improved with a second half brace which completed his hat-trick.

Gosport’s reward is a New Year home tie with North Kent when a quarter-final spot is up for grabs.

Daily Echo:

Two Brockenhurst College footballers have been selected to represent Great Britain Colleges.

Harvey Slade and Domenic Panesar-Dower secured their spots alongside 16 other elite young footballers from across the country.

They will now attend a training camp at Manchester City’s training ground before playing two warm-up matches in the UK ahead of an international tournament in Italy.

Head of the football academy, Tom Prodomo, said: “I’m really proud to have two Brock students out of the 18 in the final squad – it’s an excellent achievement.

“We will support them in any way possible.”

Slade, from Bournemouth, currently plays as a midfielder for Christchurch Youth. The former Ballard School pupil is studying a Level 2 BTEC Diploma in Sport.

Panesar-Dower, from Bournemouth, currently plays as a midfielder for Poole Town.

The former Bournemouth Collegiate School pupil is studying for AS geography, psychology and physical education.