DEESIDE Ramblers are celebrating their best ever season after the men’s first team clinched the Conference North title on Sunday with two games to spare, writes MARK DOWLING.

Deeside drew 0-0 at home to nearest challengers Sheffield Hallam Civica, despite a frantic last few minutes where Sheffield went all out to secure the win by swapping their goalkeeper with an outfield player.

The Tiverton-based Ramblers now have the chance to gain promotion to the Premier Division – the top flight of men’s English hockey – via the play-offs, to be played in a round robin tournament over the May Bank Holiday weekend in Cannock.

And the team’s success has been replicated through their other squads, as the 2nd XI dominated this year’s North West Hockey League Division Two, and the 3rd XI are on the brink of securing the Division Three title.

Ramblers’ first-team manager Neil Lamont said: “It was a great team effort throughout the season. With the success of the 2nd XI and 3rd XI, I would say this has been the best year our club has ever had.

“It’s rare for a team like ourselves to go straight up into this league and win it. Sheffield had to win all their remaining games for them to have a chance of the title, with us losing all ours. They got a little desperate in the end, throwing the kitchen sink at us. They did not have a goalkeeper for the last five minutes but we held on.”

Ramblers will face the champions of the Conference West and Conference East divisions, plus the ninth-placed team from the top flight. The top two teams from the round robin will play in the Premier Division.

Former Deeside Ramblers star James Fair missed out on a World Cup medal over the weekend.

The England goalkeeper, from Pulford, missed out on a place in the final last Thursday after the team lost 4-1 to Germany in the semi-final. And despite going 3-1 up in their bronze medal match with the Netherlands on Saturday, the Dutch fought back to win 4-3.