BASINGSTOKE RFC director of rugby James Croker was pleased to see his side return from the Christmas break with a comfortable win at Gosport and Fareham.

Karl Buttle scored four tries, while Jake Henderson, Andy Hore and Matt Horne also touched down as 'Stoke beat their Hampshire rivals 57-14.

Croker said: “We knew this is a difficult place to come to, as Chichester found out a few weeks back, so we expected a battle, which is what we got.

“We got off to a fantastic start playing simple but effective rugby and it was only when we were reduced in numbers due to the yellow cards that they scored their tries. What pleased me most was the way we got our second wind to put in a good performance in the last quarter.”

See The Monday Gazette, on sale now, for a full report.