REPAIRING ruptured ankle ligaments or nasty fractures is a tough enough job for any surgeon. But when your patients are England rugby aces or top players in Premiership football teams, the pressure is certainly cranked up a notch.

However, for one Basingstoke surgeon, treating sporting superstars and effectively holding their careers in his hands is all part of a day's work.

James Calder is a renowned consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Basingstoke hospital and also runs The Hampshire Foot and Ankle Centre at The Hampshire Clinic in Old Basing.

Although he is reluctant to reveal details about his A-list patients, it is known that Mr Calder has treated a whole host of top names, including England and London Wasps rugby star Danny Cipriani, England and Lancashire cricketer Freddie Flintoff, and Portsmouth FC midfielders Niko Kranjcar and Pedro Mendes - now with Rangers FC.

"Seeing someone come in with a career-threatening injury and getting them back out there is very rewarding," he explained.

"To go along to a match and see them scoring a try, a century or goals in an international is just great."

The 40-year-old's expertise in foot and ankle surgery means he is often the first point of call when world-class sportsmen need help.

He told The Gazette phone calls from anxious club medics kick-off most of his sports-star referrals and he is often asked to cast his expert eye over scans e-mailed to his laptop, because time is of the essence.

"A professional soccer player can be out for six months if you don't identify the injury at an early stage," he said.

Mr Calder uses pioneering keyhole surgery using image-guided injections, cameras and fine instruments, which are passed into the joint through a tiny incision in the skin.

He said: "The team doctors or physiotherapists watch the operations to learn about the mechanisms of the injury to ensure a speedy recovery of their multi-million-pound protégés during the crucial rehabilitation period."

The top surgeon's recent patients include London Wasps fly-half Cipriani, who fractured his ankle during Wasps' play-off semi-final victory over Bath in May.

Cipriani was treated by Mr Calder and it has now been reported in national newspapers that he could be back in the game on October 1 - two months ahead of schedule.

"With someone like Danny Cipriani, they want to know when they will make it back and it can be difficult to give a precise answer," Mr Calder explained.

Portsmouth FC midfielder Kranjcar underwent emergency surgery with Mr Calder in August to repair a ruptured ankle ligament, and former Pompey star Mendes - who is now playing for Rangers FC in the Scottish Premier League - was also treated for a similar injury last season.

The surgeon said he had to break the devastating news to another well-known sportsman that he would never play again earlier this year.

He said: "It is extremely difficult when a chap has spent all his time, since the age of 14 in that particular sport, playing for his country.

"He was in the denial stages and was grieving - but eventually reality struck."

One of the perks of his job, however, is being invited as a VIP guest to big games at Lord's cricket ground or Premier League football matches - a joy shared by his sports-mad children, Toby, nine, and Alice, six.

Mr Calder came to the Basingstoke area with his wife Joanna and young family in 2003 and was a reservist senior medical officer.

But within three days of arriving, he was called up to serve with the Desert Rats, carrying out life-serving surgery on people in a dressing tent in Basra.

Now he serves on the frontline in Basingstoke, treating the nation's sporting stars, and also restoring quality of life to hundreds of members of the public through his work at Basingstoke hospital.

"It's a busy diary but great fun," he said.