INCOMING Basingstoke RFC chairman Richard Fitzpatrick hopes that the appointment of a completely new board will enable the club to make a fresh start.

Fitzpatrick, who has held several roles at the club in the past, was appointed as chairman during a Special General Meeting held last Wednesday. He will head up a nine-strong interim board responsible for running the club until the Annual General Meeting, which is due to take place in the summer.

The changes come following the resignation of former chairman Steve Tristram and secretary David Crabbe. Both stepped down after being suspended by a RFU panel following the club’s decision to field an ineligible player under a false name during a match earlier in the season.

John Byett, Peter Allen and Gareth Lewis, who had all previously been on the board, agreed to step aside to make way for the new team.

It has been a tough few months for the club, with big divisions forming over the conduct of former head coach Will Croker, who was eventually sacked after also being suspended by the RFU panel.

Fitzpatrick said: “This club needs to be unified at the moment and having been involved at both junior and senior levels, I believe I am in a position to do that.

“It’s a fresh start. Hopefully this draws a line under what has gone on over the last few months, and we can move on.

“It’s a tough job to take on and I would not be doing it if I didn’t love the club, but I’m pleased with the board that has been appointed.”

Croker had harboured hopes of returning to the club if a new board was appointed, but Fitzpatrick said there are no plans to reinstate Croker.

“It’s up to the board as a group to decide what happens regarding the head coach position, but I can say that we have no plans to bring Will Croker back,” Fitzpatrick said.

“We have got enough coaches at the club to get the job done until the end of the season. After that, we will advertise for a new head coach, but we need time to find the right candidate.”

Lewis, who had been interim head coach, has decided not to continue in that role, so Steve Parker, the new chair of senior playing, will take overall control of first team affairs, with player/coach Ben Stewart leading training sessions.

They will be charged with the task of trying to ensure that the club is not relegated from London One South, and it is hoped that the players, who had been supportive of Croker, will back the new regime.

Fitzpatrick added: “We do not want to see anyone leave, but what we do want is a team who want to play for, and are committed to, Basingstoke RFC.

“We have to remember that this club is more than just a first team. They are our premier team, but we put out 20 sides a week, so we have another 19 teams to think about, all of which are just as important as the first team. Relegation would not be nice, but it would not really affect the day-to-day business of the club.

“We want to play at the highest level we can sustain, of course, but if we get relegated, it would give us a chance to review things, take our medicine and get on with it.

“Our sponsors are sponsoring us because we are a community rugby club, not because we are in London One South. I am hopeful that we will have their support, no matter what.”

In addition to a new board, a separate Vision Group has also been set up to review all areas of the club, and to look at things that may need to change in the future.