THE past week has seen some very positive and encouraging steps taken by the club towards forming closer links with rugby clubs in Basingstoke and the surrounding area.

On Tuesday evening at the Grange, the first meeting was held between the North Hampshire Rugby Clubs Support Group, an initiative sparked by the RFU.

The meeting was attended by the RFU's regional development officer, Ivan Torpey, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's sports development officer, Steve Welch, and representatives from Basingstoke, Chineham, Overton and Andover rugby clubs.

The objective of the group is to form closer links between the local clubs and provide assistance with coaching clinics and mentoring, funding issues, ground and maintenance issues and anything else that may affect the clubs.

A major concern identified by all clubs was the retention of players aged between 16 and 24. This is an area we, as a club, are investing a considerable amount of resources in, and hope that through the meetings we can help our fellow support group members with ways of dealing with the issue.

Overall, it was a very constructive meeting with all clubs agreeing there was a need to work closer together and assist each other where possible.

The forthcoming meetings will see guest speakers attend from various organisations, including RFU funding specialists, grounds maintenance specialists and mentor coaches.

I look forward to bringing you progress on these issues, which no doubt affect a number of sports in Basingstoke.