Chichester Falcons were crowned league champions on Wednesday night, having dispatched Portsmouth Dodgers with a minimum run deficit to put themselves out of reach from second-placed Itchen Knicks.

Going into the game, the Falcons knew they had to not only win, but also concede no more than ten runs to take the title on the night. Failing that, Knicks are due to play Brewers later in the month and could pip Chichester at the post, so the Falcons were keen to get things settled without leaving anything to fate.

So it was, that Chichester travelled to Portsmouth to play out arguably the biggest game in the club's history to date. With all the pressure on their defense, the Falcons found themselves relaxed and typically boisterous at bat, opening the game with five hits and three runs in the first. Jenny Horton earned a well deserved MVP award with a searing line drive up the middle and Ally Warr did well to steer the ball through the 5-6 hole to get herself on base.

Taking the field, pitcher Dave Piesse was typically cool-headed and cruised through the top of the Dodgers' lineup, coaxing two routine flyballs for Chen-an Yu and a hard-hit grounder for Olly Howley to hoover up at third base, to start the Falcons with a much-needed shutout.

The tone was set by the end of the first inning, and continued throughout the game. Falcons were brutal with their batting; repeatedly punching the ball past the infield rather than swinging for the fence, and steadily worked their way around the diamond one base at a time. Junior player Amy Morris blasted two hits past shortstop and James Mortimore, patient as ever, waited for his pitch to hit deep over the infield. Dodgers tacked on a few runs with some smart hits to centre right but struggled to get momentum as shortstop Cary Chen and Bronte Harvey at second base kept things well under control in the diamond. Lucy Morris went full stretch to spectacularly grab a wayward throw from third as the Falcons continued to keep the Dodgers score low as the game edged towards the final inning.

The Falcons added a further five runs in the seventh to effectively put the game to bed, but still had to maintain a decent run deficit as Dodgers prepared for their final bats, with six runs on the board. It was over in minutes - Piesse sat down the first hitter with a strikeout, and the following two Dodgers both popped up identical flyballs to left field which David Morris gratefully snatched to win the game 19-6.

Many of the team had chosen not to look at the score throughout the game, so there followed a 'did we do it?' moment on the field before Chichester hugged out their first ever league championship celebration and took the trophy back to the city.