The Falcons, who will now definitely have the best win/loss record when the league finishes, beat Southampton at Grove Hill, and are now looking forward to the final four showdown in on the weekend of September 6.

"We got a great jump on the season out of spring training," manager Jason Greenberg said.

"We're no squad of spring chickens that's for sure, but way back in January we were conditioning, getting to know and trust one another, and preparing our strategy for the months to come.

"All that preparation has paid off. By the time the other teams in our division had dusted off the cobwebs we were 6-0 and at the top of the charts. We never looked back. We never had to."

The top four national teams will travel to Croydon, where the Falcons will face the AAA Northern Champions in the opening game - who more likely than not will be the Humber Pilots who bested the Falcons 8-5 in the AA play-offs a year ago.

In round two the Falcons should take on the Oxford Kings or London Metros. Both teams managed one win off the Falcons in the regular season so Herts will be expecting a fierce contest.

The Herts side were relegated to the AA two years ago, but last season sailed through the league, winning themselves promotion to the Premier League.