Basingstoke Rugby Club has been boosted by the news that B. J. Champion Group has signed a new sponsorship deal with the club.

The group are becoming both a club business partner and are sponsors of the club's under-14 age group. They will also be sponsoring tomorrow's home match between 'Stoke and Barking.

The club formed a link through Steve Buttle and Simon Appleby - two of the players of the first team - who both work for B. J. Champion Scaffolding Ltd.

Basingstoke Rugby Club chairman Steve Tristram said: "We are delighted that B. J. Champion are supporting us as well as investing in our future through the under-14 team."

He added: "These are exciting times for both Basingstoke - back in the National League - and B. J. Champion, with their own move into their new premises. We look forward to building on the partnership in the future."

The company moved into its new home at Roentgen Road, Daneshill, at the end of September.

Dragons 7pts, Esher II 24

THE Dragons faced unbeaten Esher, playing with a side changed at the last minute. Playing into the wind in the first half and taking time to get together, 'Stoke were 0-7 down within five minutes.

Esher gained two penalties to bring them on to 'Stoke's five-metre line, then secured a lineout from which they nailed a converted try.

'Stoke started to get things together and compete, but Esher scored a penalty after 20 minutes to extend their lead. A soft try conceded on the stroke of half-time gave the visitors a 17-0 lead.

'Stoke played a much tighter defensive game in the second half and had more chances to attack.

This led to the best move of the match after 50 minutes, which produced a try for Rafer Joseph. Grant Murdoch converted.

Esher returned fire and closed the match with a score in the 60th minute to win 24-7.

Dragon thanks went to Doug Elvy for stepping in at fly-half, and solid debuts were enjoyed by Gareth Cottrell and James Gardener. Simon Appleby was man-of-the-match.

Dragons: Cottrell, Ackland (Gardner 35), Hewins, Yates (Stirling 40), Hopkins, Swain (Glossop 40), Appleby, Bushnell, Wicks, Elvy, Shaylor, Jospeh, White, Holland, Murdock.

Basingstoke Griffins 36pts, Maidenhead 0

NATHAN Ivens opened the scoring, outpacing his winger on the outside and scoring in the left corner.

Basingstoke scored their second try seven minutes later when Mark Hemmings moved to the blindside and made space for Chris Barrett to score left of the posts.

When the ball was shipped out left, Ivens was again able to score in the left corner, giving him his seventh try of the season.

Simon Hall peeled off the side to run under the posts. Nick Wilkinson added the two extra points.

Fawcett used his pace to slide in and score in the right corner, and Wilkinson added the conversion from the touchline.

Hemmings then had the pace to score his second try of the season to the right of the posts. Wilkinson kicked his third conversion.

Griffins: Hemmings, Fawcett, Ivens, Barrett, Powell, Wilkinson, D. Luff, Cannon, Trowern, Hill (rep Wright 56), Smith, Coomber, Morel, D. Johnson (c), Hall. Rep (not used) Campbell.

Windsor IV 13pts Basingstoke Cavaliers 20

THE Cavaliers stayed top of the league with a hard-fought win.

Playing in wet conditions, they were 8-0 down after 20 minutes and struggled to make an impact. But an Adam Wiles tap penalty to Martin Tompkins saw him make ground before passing to full-back Neil Barton for a try.

At the start of the second-half, the Cavaliers took control of the game and were rewarded with a Kevin Whittaker solo try after 50 minutes.

The forwards started to control both the scrums and the loose. From good rucking, the ball was moved across the backs for James Cotterall to score in the corner. After 70 minutes, more good forward work led to centre Neil Buckner crashing over.

However, Toby Fryer had a poor kicking day and none of the tries were converted. Windsor came back strongly and with five minutes remaining, a kick ahead gave the winger a try in the corner.

The Cavaliers' defence stayed strong for the last few minutes to secure the win in a hard match where the visitors' superior fitness came through.

The team can now relax with a couple of friendly matches because their next league game, away at Staines, is not until the end of the month.