BASINGSTOKE RFC were relegated from London One South last Saturday, without throwing a ball in anger.

’Stoke conceded the game to fellow strugglers Twickenham as they were unable to field a front row due to injuries and unavailability.

The mandatory punishment for this is a five-point deduction, which saw the relegation trapdoor open and ’Stoke slide through it. They are now 18 points from safety, with only three games remaining and 15 points to play for.

Basingstoke RFC chairman of playing Steve Parker said: “We did not want to concede the game, but we had no choice as we had a number of players injured and others unavailable as they had Six Nations tickets. We even rang all of our old players to see if we could get the game on.

“You cannot just throw any players into the front row at level six rugby. We have a respon-sibility for player safety.”

This means that in the space of two seasons, Basingstoke have dropped from National League Three London to London Two South West with back-to-back relegations.

The writing was on the wall for ’Stoke after they were docked 15 points for playing an ineligible player under a false name.

The fallout from this decision saw most of the team leave and it will certainly be a season to forget.

'Stoke will have the freedom to express themselves this weekend in their final London One South home game of the season against high-flying Sutton and Epsom (3pm).

Chairman of playing Steve Parker said: “There is no pressure on our players any more because we are now down.

“So I just want them to go out and express themselves. We want to play like Scotland did against Ireland last weekend and put up a good performance and score a few points.”

A victory for Basingstoke this weekend against Sutton would be the biggest upset of the London One South season.

’Stoke come into the game as massive underdogs as they are currently on a nine-game losing streak. Their last home outing saw them beaten 104-0 by local rivals Havant.

In stark contrast, Sutton have won their last five games and their latest success was a thrilling 13-12 victory at league leaders Wimbledon.

The result moved the Surrey side to five points behind the table toppers with three games left in the campaign.

On paper it looks a no contest, but when these sides met at the beginning of December, Basingstoke pushed Sutton all the way before losing 23-19.

For the Surrey side it was a club record ninth win on the trot, but they certainly had to work hard for the victory.

Basingstoke proved to be resolute opponents, giving the home side’s pack a challenging afternoon as they were unable to dominate proceedings.

Basingstoke started the better in that game. They were camped in the Sutton half for the first 15 minutes and were able to score a converted try.

By half-time, Sutton had a slender 10-7 lead, which increased to 20-7 with 20 minutes to go, before a late rally from the visitors.

However, Basingstoke’s last home outing against Havant was one to forget.

Parker said: “There were a lot of disap-pointed players after that game, but we have now put that game in the bin.

“We started well against Havant and I counted 16 phrases. If we had scored from one of them, it may have been a different game.

“In our previous home game against Charlton Park, we matched them for 55 minutes and gave them a fright. I hope we can do that again against Sutton.”

’Stoke led 22-20 against Charlton Park after 55 minutes and the players on the park for Basingstoke on Saturday are sure to want to end their home campaign as best they can.

Parker said: “We know Sutton are a good team as their position in the table proves, but I hope we can get a bonus point from the game as I think we deserve it for all the hard work on the training pitch.

“We are expecting a big crowd, so it would be nice to give them something to cheer about.”

One player who may be able to unlock the Sutton defence is winger Rilwan Lawal, who looked very lively against Havant.

Basingstoke will be without unavailable captain Guy Wilkinson, so Phil Perkins will take over as skipper.

Parker said: “Phil is a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room. He has bags of experience and is powerful in the scrum.”

With no Wilkinson, Ben Hawkins is expected to take on scrum-half duties, as he did against Hove last month.

In the front row, Basingstoke will wait on the fitness of Sam Turner, who suffered concussion in Havant game, but they have Tom Barnes, Aaron Palmer and Adam MacDonald back for the home finale.