BASINGSTOKE RFC will face a total of six Hampshire derbies over the course of the 2015-16 season in London Two South West.

Having been relegated, ‘Stoke will come up against Winchester, Andover and Portsmouth next season.

Basingstoke will begin and end their season with games against Weybridge Vandals, opening up with a trip up the M3 on September 19 and finishing off with a home game against the Surrey side on April 23.

The Down Grange club will play their first home game against KCS Old Boys, with their final away game being a trip to Old Reigatian.

New head coach, Gareth Hatherley-Hurford, said: “It’s a new league for me, so my knowledge of the other teams is limited, but I think that could be a blessing in disguise because it will allow me to concentrate on our own strengths.

“Having six derby games will add a new flavour to things because the players probably know each other and it’s a bit of extra excitement for the spectators as well.”

Basingstoke are due to return to pre-season training on Tuesday, but Hatherley-Hurford has been running sessions throughout June, with encouraging results.

He added: “I’ve been really pleased with the number of players we have had down to the sessions. We have had up to 38 people there, which is really good considering that it’s downtime for the players.”

The new head coach is keen to take a close look at the players he has at his disposal before he considers bringing in new recruits, but he has organised two pre-season friendly matches against London Three outfits. Basingstoke will travel to Trojans on August 15, before hosting Hackney the following week.

Basingstoke RFC fixtures 2015-16

September
19 – Weybridge Vandals (a)
26 – KCS Old Boys (h)

October
3 – Effingham and Leatherhead (a)
10 – Warlingham (h)
24 – Winchester (a)

November
7 – Cobham (h)
14 – Portsmouth (a)
21 – Andover (h)

December
5 – London Cornish (a)
12 – London Exiles (a)
19 – Old Reigatian (h)

January
9 – KCS Old Boys (a)
16 – Effingham and Leatherhead (h)
23 – Warlingham (a)
30 – Winchester (h)

February
13 – Cobham (a)
20 – Portsmouth (h)

March
5 – Andover (a)
19 – London Cornish (h)

April
2 – London Exiles (h)
16 – Old Reigatian (a)
23 – Weybridge Vandals (h)