Basingstoke 15pts Havant 51

BASINGSTOKE ended their season on a sour note as they were resoundingly beaten by local rivals Havant.

'Stoke must now depend on other results going their way in order to remain in the National leagues.

The FX-backed home team were never really in the game as Havant immediately took control of a match that was supposed to be decided by only a couple of points.

Playing with a strong wind, a converted try in the second minute set the tone of the game as Jon Barfoot rounded off a good move by scoring under the posts.

Former Basingstoke player Syd Claffey kicked the conversion before Havant's lead was extended to 12-0 with a pushover try from a lineout.

'Stoke looked to get back into the game with some good attacking phases, but were disrupted at the breakdown and frustrated by some odd refereeing decisions.

A Dave Jones penalty was all they came away with before Havant opened up a 31-3 lead with a debatable penalty try and two more tries after 'Stoke had missed several tackles.

This all but wrapped up the game with only 28 minutes played. 'Stoke kept going, though, and, after a series of phases, were rewarded with an unconverted Andy Wilson try.

The game was finished by half-time as a Claffey penalty and a further unconverted try left the score at 39-8.

Playing downhill and with the wind at their backs, 'Stoke were expected to salvage some pride in the second-half with a few tries but disappointed the large crowd.

An early spell of pressure resulted in 'Stoke's final points of the game - a try for Steve Collins which was converted by Jones to reduce the scoreline to 39-15.

The home side could have got back into the game as good breaks from Dave Jones, Chris Norton and captain Richard Baker were all wasted by silly passes.

But they were further embarrassed by two more Havant tries that left the final score at 51-15.

This was the worst possible way 'Stoke could have finished the season and, despite poor refereeing decisions and several unlucky breaks, they were outplayed and can only have themselves to blame if they get relegated.

Afterwards, a dejected player-coach Ian Calder said: "That was a disappointing performance from us. We never got going during the game and, as a result, we must now wait and see what other teams do before we know about next season."

Basingstoke: C Norton; Y Cullum, B Kirwan, N Taylor, J Rees; D Jones (rep R Holmes), T Dean; S Collins (rep S Buttle), M Evans, S Hobden (N Young), A Wilson (rep S Appleby), M Reeve, P Della-Savina, R Baker (capt), S St Bernard.

Who was voted The Gazette Player of the Season? See Friday's Gazette