Andover 9pts, Basingstoke 5

HAMPSHIRE Cup holders Basingstoke surrendered their trophy in Andover yesterday in a shock defeat at the Goodship Ground.

The FX-backed side - winners of the cup 10 times in the last 14 years - were unable to find the form which had seen them beat National division three south league leaders Launceston the week before against their lesser Hampshire opponents.

Hampshire RFU president John Sneezum said: "I would like to congratulate Andover on breaking Basingstoke's hold on the trophy."

Basingstoke player-coach Kiwi Ian Calder said: "On the day the better team won. We were never in the game.

"It is a shame after last week, but now I know how England felt."

The home side built their win on solid defence and kept 'Stoke off the scoreboard until the 80th minute.

Realising the game was slipping away from them, Simon Buckland produced a great 40-yard run and good pressure saw Calder kick to the five-metre line.

Simon Appleby produced a rare lineout win for the team on the day, and, after Andover three times stopped them going over, Neil Young finally touched down. Calder missed the conversion.

'Stoke started the second half by making three changes as Kelvin Chapman went off with a back injury, to be replaced by Andy Wilson, while Steve Hobden came on for Steve Buttle and Jim Dixon for Chris Hampson.

However, Andover added to their first-half tally on 53 minutes as Keith Mitchell completed a hat-trick of penalties. He missed a further two in the second period.

The first session had seen two penalties from Andover - the first coming after four minutes as 'Stoke collapsed a scrum and, from 15 metres out in front of the posts, Mitchell gave the home side the lead.

The visitors' best move of the first half came after 30 minutes when Neil Barton chipped up the line, but Calder was tackled without the ball by Sam Froggett. However, the referee failed to punish the offender.

Mitchell added Andover's second score of the game with the final kick of the first half to make it 6-0 and the home side continued their first-half performance into the second period to complete a memorable win.

Andover: Chris Riley; Sam Froggett, Nick Rowe, Gordon Simmons, Dan Pearson; Stuart McCrae, Keith Mitchell; Tony Worle, Lee Cowley, Matthew Worle, Chris Collins, Duncan Bailey, Alex McNair, Dan Culley, Marc Whiting. Reps: Ian Robin, Stuart Dawson, Reef Cackau, Chris Grist, John Williams, Scott Smyth.

Basingstoke: Neil Barton; Robbie Holmes, Simon Buckland, Ian Calder, Yann Cullum; Matt Lucas, Tom Vincent; Neil Young, Matt Evans, Steve Buttle, Ross Stirling, Kelvin Chapman, Chris Hampson, Simon Appleby, Selwyn St Bernard. Replacements: Grant Murdoch, Carl White, Simon Crew, Jim Dixon, Andy Wilson, Steve Hobden.