East Grinstead have set their sights on a title challenge next season.

The club achieved their highest ever finish in the National League after securing runners-up spot in the premier division with an 8-1 drubbing of Canterbury on Sunday.

Now they will they turn their attention to putting together a serious challenge for the championship next season.

Victory over Canterbury - a result which condemned their visitors to relegation - came hot on the heels of news that Grinstead had won a place in next season's EuroHockey League (EHL).

There is still one more league game to come but Cannock's defeat to Surbiton has guaranteed second spot for Grinstead.

Manager Matt Jones said: "It has been a very good week for us and a fitting way to finish off our home season. Finishing second may help with a better ranking in the EHL.

"We have exceeded our expectations for the season. We set out to gain a European spot. We have managed that, thanks to a lot of hard work, and the boys can be proud of what they have achieved under (player-coach) Mark Pearn's leadership.

"They can look forward to a very well earned rest while the management sit down to plan next year, the shape and mix of the squad with personnel coming in and out.

"We also have work to do with sponsors. The EHL brings an immense amount of media power, far more than the club has ever had before, and we need to learn how to present that to existing and new partners.

"There is a lot of work ahead but it will be exciting and we very much look forward to the next 18 months."

Great Britain duo Ashley Jackson and Glenn Kirkham, who have been unavailable all season due to their international commitments ahead of the Olympics, will be back next year while Jack Marfleet, who has missed the entire season through injury, will also return.

Other players have already approached the club about joining, such is the attraction of hockey at Saint Hill now.

But Grinstead go into the last game of the season 11 points adrift of Reading and Jones admits there is still work to do to bridge that gap in 2008-09.

He said: "We have dropped five points since the winter break so we have sustained some pretty good form.

"There are games where we weren't good enough and that is something we need to work on. In the main we have been solid but we can be more consistent and defensively better.

"If we can score as freely as we have done and can improve on those other areas, hopefully, we can be true title challengers next season and challenging hard in Europe."

Teenager Josh Cather scored his first National League goal to set the ball rolling against Canterbury. Danny Hall took his tally to 22 league goals for the season with a hat-trick while Dave De Prez added his 21st of the campaign. The other scorers were Ben Payne, a first for the season from Dominick Male and Pearn.

In the Kent/Sussex Regional League, runners-up Worthing lost 4-2 at home to champions Ashford.

Alex Warner scored twice for the hosts, who led 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining, and their performance was hugely encouraging ahead of the play-offs next month.

Horsham, who were not safe going into their last game, won 2-1 at Tunbridge Wells with a brace from Philip Roper to finish sixth, one place behind Eastbourne who beat Herne Bay 4-0 with goals from Alan Dawson (two), Flo Pietzsch and Glenn Wilkinson-Tough.

In division one, Newhaven admitted they were mystified about having their league record scrubbed.

Newhaven were bottom with just one win all season and they lost 4-1 to fellow strugglers New Beccehamian but top scorer Seb Birch said he did not know why they had been removed from the table. The league were unavailable for comment.

Crawley hammered Gillingham Anchorians 10-2 with goals from Kieran Fuller (three), Danny Evans (two), Ian Watkins, Jamie Westwood, Dave Orpin, Stuart Donaldson and Steve Innes.

Toby Reed netted twice for South Saxons in a 5-2 defeat at Old Williamsonians while Rob Hallett got Penguin's goal as they lost 2-1 at HSBC.