Basingstoke 22pts, Reading Abbey 3

SIMON Appleby and Caan Childs scored the tries that helped Basingstoke claim a much needed South-West One victory.

Having lost three successive league matches, the 'Stoke players knew they needed to stop the rot on Saturday at Down Grange against their second-from-bottom visitors.

Director of rugby Jim Dixon admitted his side can, and will, play better rugby than they did to defeat Abbey. He said: "I am happy that we got the win. That was the most important thing.

"We had to change the momentum and get back on a winning pattern. We have done that, which is good. It's a platform for us to start off again in two weeks time at St Ives."

The back-row forward continued: "Our confidence has been knocked and you could see that in the way we played when we didn't take our chances.

"It was almost a case of not knowing what to do in those scoring positions - but that will come in time when our confidence grows."

Fortunately for the side, it was the experienced Appleby and Childs who ensured 'Stoke's territory gains did not go to waste, with tries, which came in the middle of the game.

Saturday's match between two teams bereft of confidence was slow to get going and dominated by errors - both in the set-piece, where line-out throws often went long, and open play, where handling was poor and knock-ons common.

Mike Goodall's 10th minute penalty to put 'Stoke 3-0 up was instantly cancelled out by Abbey full-back Tom Waterhouse's penalty, secured after the Abbey pack charged from the kick-off to force Ross Stirling to infringe for holding on to the ball after getting tackled.

But that was the only mistake the second row made in the game. The skipper put in an outstanding performance, especially in the loose, as did his predecessor as captain, Appleby.

The duo combined on 30 minutes to secure 'Stoke's first try. Stirling launching a superb one-handed pass, as he was tackled, back inside to Appleby, who was never going to be stopped from one of his bullish charges from 20 metres out.

Goodall missed the conversion and 8-3 was the half-time score, but 'Stoke made sure their efforts to secure another try did not diminish.

It came after a period of pressure, where Dixon and Simon Humberstone made strong runs to gain territory, on 48 minutes, No 8 Childs picking up and driving over to give Goodall an easy conversion.

Then came a 52nd-minute injury to the luckless Myles Rutherford, who suffered a nasty knuckle break. His loss to the back-line gave Darren Lillywhite a run out in the centre.

Goodall pulled a penalty left of the posts on 55 minutes but did not have to wait long to add to his points tally, converting Appleby's second try, which came two minutes later.

The blindside flanker was well fed by Childs as 'Stoke spread play from left to right after an initial foray ended just short of the line following pacy runs by Andrew Patrick and Karl Buttle.

It was the perfect response to missing out the majority of last weekend's derby at Reading on the bench, and Dixon was pleased to see it.

Another plus for the player-coach was the way Jamie Fish and Simon Humberstone linked up at half-back.

"Jamie is a very strong and competitive scrum-half at the breakdown, which is something I feel has been missing the last few weeks. He and Simon have played a lot of rugby together and I hope was can get a bit of continuity now."

Basingstoke stay in eighth place in the table and have a weekend off before they travel to St Ives on November 25.