Colden Common are level on points with Whitchurch United, but stay second due to goal difference, after a 4-1 win against Blackfield & Langley. 

That win now sees the Stallions undefeated in their last six league games – they’ve won five in a row. 

But it was Colden Common that were behind, following James Egeland-Jensen’s attempt to clear the ball that was deflected in by striker Ashton Goodger

However, the Watersiders’ lead was short-lived.

Steve Kings’ side turned the game around in just five minutes, going from trailing 1-0 to leading 2-1, thanks to Jimmy Walters’ goal from a corner and Cal Archer’s lob over Jack James.

Despite surrendering their 1-0 lead and falling behind, Blackfield had a chance to level the score immediately, but Daniel Reynolds’ effort was directed wide.

Colden Common continued to pile the pressure on but couldn’t find the back of the net, as Joao Ferreira fired his effort straight at the keeper

And even in the early stages of the second-half, Colden Common struggled to find the back of the net in the early stages of the second half, with Ferrieia and Walters both failing to convert close-range. However, from a resulting corner, Cam Stone’s delivery was met by defender Will Erdinc, who nodded home to give his side a two-goal cushion.

Two minutes later, Erdinc’s pinpoint pass found Ben Sunley, who opted to shoot rather than pass to Walters, but his effort was dragged wide. 

The chances kept coming. Erdinc thought he’d grab a second, but his header was directed wide of the post.

Six minutes later, Erdinc turned provider, when he picked out Sunley, who found the back of the net and seemingly wrapped up the game. 

Colden Common pushed for a fifth late on, but a series of chances fell to nothing. Walters found Ferreira, but James made a great low save. Sammy Middleton’s effort from range flew wide, while Josh Bowerman’s strike was comfortably kept out. The game’s final chance saw Josh Harvey-Grey’s free kick, which looked to curl into the top corner, but was palmed away. 

Next up for the Stallions, it’s a midweek trip to United Services Portsmouth, in the third round of the Wessex League Cup.

Performing arts education isn’t just about learning to act, dance, or sing – it’s vital in developing many young people’s confidence and self-expression.

In a digital age where young people are spending more time on their devices than ever before, theatre education provides lifelong skills like communication, resilience and teamwork.  

I caught up with some of the students at Artisan Theatre School, a Hampshire based youth theatre club, to see if this rings true.  

Ben, 18, said his time at theatre school has “helped develop people skills” and made him “a more confident person”.

He urged other young people to “get involved and enjoy it!”

Daniel, 17, shared a similar sentiment saying his “confidence has grown a lot”.

Theatre education can open a whole world of new opportunities for young people, giving them the space to discover their talents and explore future career paths.

Lucy, 17, has attended Artisan Theatre School for nine years and said: “I want to be a performer in some capacity.”

She added: “That’s my dream because of Artisan.”  

Emma, a singing teacher at the school, said performing arts education is “beneficial to anyone,” not just those pursuing it professionally.

She added it can be especially valuable for children with SEN, helping them build confidence, improve communication, and “come out of their shell” in a supportive environment. 

Unfortunately, despite its benefits, arts education is not guaranteed for every young person.

Cuts to funding over the last decade has had a significant impact, limiting access to creative learning opportunities.

The Cultural Learning Alliance’s 2025 report reveals a 42% decrease in Creative Arts based GCSE entries since 2010, and a 27% decline in the number of Arts teachers.  

Sam Blackwell, principal and founder of Artisan Theatre School, said arts education is “really important” and that “they don’t do enough of it in schools”.

She explained that her vision in creating the school was to “give back more to kids and get them being confident”.

To help fill the gaps left by reduced arts provision in schools, Sam plans to introduce additional classes and offer increased opportunities for her students to learn from industry professionals.

The red-breast whistles from a garden croft.

Keats – ‘To Autumn’ (32)

It’s the autumn of 1819, and poet John Keats is taking his daily walk through Winchester.

On pathways that modern residents know well, he notices the smallest details, from the gnats at the riverbanks, to the “rosy hue” of the water meadows at sunset.

Leaves crunch underfoot as I follow in his footsteps, the rain coming in soft cycles.

While not explicitly mentioned, the ancient capital of Anglo-Saxon England can easily be felt between each of the lines, which flow like the River Itchen that Keats would have walked by.

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

   Among the river sallows, borne aloft

      Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies.

Keats – ‘To Autumn’ (27-29)

Sue de Salis, chair of the Winchester Area Tourist Guides Association’s, describes to me how Keats helps people to “see things they wouldn’t otherwise see, and see the beauty in things”.

I find this is true – from a tiny snail slowly creeping across a leaf triple its size, to a robin perched on a branch in the shadows of Winchester Cathedral.

Often, To Autumn is interpreted as a poem about dying, but in a way that sees the innate beauty in it.
It uses heavy contrast and double meanings, such as the mist and “mellow fruitfulness”, creating a serene yet bittersweet feeling for the reader.

“It’s quite upbeat,” de Salis explains, “and he says that autumn is, in some ways, warmer than spring.”
This is true even on a simply surface level; the red and orange hues that wash over the treeline resemble the warmth of the fireplace as the cold, long nights set in.
But, in a deeper way, although the temperatures are dropping, one is easily reminded of the cosy feelings of knitted jumpers instead of sundresses and cinnamon rolls in favour of Easter eggs.

It can be quite easy to forget to appreciate the little things, and as the days grow short and cold and wet, stopping on our walks to watch swans in the river or laughing as we get drenched in a surprise shower doesn’t come to mind.
A lesson that Keats can teach us, between his “flowery” poems and his letters praising Winchester for it’s fresh air, worth ‘sixpence a pint’, is to slow down.
Especially in the social media age, where some people even show signs of addiction to their smartphones, the next few months may be a perfect time to appreciate the natural beauty around us.

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

      For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Keats – ‘To Autumn’ (9-11)

We should also be wary that the autumn we experience isn’t the same as Keats’ – the UK experience a “false autumn” this year, where leaves fall and berries ripen before the end of summer, and many people wonder if the change between summer and winter is as smooth as it was even two decades ago.
Taking in our surroundings as they are now, on walks such as the Keats’ Trail, or in National Parks such as South Downs, can ground us and help us reconnect with nature.

In a way, To Autumn is not only an ode to the death we see in nature as the seasons transition from summer to winter, but it was also the last major work that Keats completed before his own untimely death at age 25.
There’s almost a sense of finality in his words; the acceptance that the lambs of spring are “full-grown”, the clouds spread over the “soft-dying day”, and there is a consistent imagery of death and mourning .