Basingstoke took an important step at Down Grange when they beat their visitors from Norfolk by a comfortable 38-13 margin.

North Walsham were despatched back to East Anglia, four tries from full-back Chris Norton doing most of the damage.

Basingstoke's victory catapults them above Redruth and Old Colfians.

Director of rugby Ian Calder was relieved after the game. "We're edging away from the bottom zone," said Basingstoke's Kiwi fly-half. "It was important for us today, firstly to use the home advantage and secondly we needed that big 'W'!"

In contrast, Havant continued their unfortunate run of league losses, going down 22-17 at Lydney. However, they gave the home team a severe jolt, leading 17-3 midway through the second half with tries from Neil McGovern and Anton Petzer. They then inexplicably conceded four penalties and a try and are still looking to break their run of bad luck. They remain in the relegation zone of National League Division Three South.

Coach Simon Morgan was disappointed. "We seemed to go downhill after the break," said the former county lock, "and we didn't read the referee right in the second half."

In London, while Winchester did not play, both Norwich and Cheshunt, already below them, both went down and might help to make the old capital's club a little more secure.

Portsmouth travelled up to the Surrey hills to take on Effingham & Leatherhead. Needing a good result to stay in the promotion hunt, they used the conditions wisely in the first half and built up a 21-0 advantage, with tries from Matt Gronow and a brace from Grant Erskine on the wing, Neil Styles adding three conversions.

Turning round to face the elements, they held out limiting their hosts to two scores, Portsmouth running out 21-10 winners. Club coach Ian Chandler was happy with the result. "We defended well in the second half," he said, "that's what we have worked at and the plan worked."

Worthing's win over Maidstone did Hampshire clubs no favours. Besides stopping Portsmouth from climbing any higher, they have knocked Gosport and Fareham off top spot and the Ship Hugis will want to regain that position as soon as possible. The crunch could come for both clubs when they meet at Rugby Camp on March 29 in the penultimate game of the league programme.

Andover travelled up the M3 to Wimbledon and left empty-handed, going down to a well-drilled south London team 25-14. Fijian full-back Viliamu Tiko scored both tries, while player-coach Keith Mitchell knocked over both conversions. Coach Mitchell said: "We were controlling the game, but a weak defence let us down."

He added: "It's a worry, for it's surprise results that upset careful plans in this league."

Old-Midwhitgiftian's victory over Sevenoaks has pushed Andover down two positions and Mitchell's fears may have more substance than he would wish.

Elsewhere, Trojans' wretched season continues, with all three teams that played over the weekend losing. The first XV travelled up to Basingstoke and went down 20-3.

Fareham Heathens had a slightly better net, for although their 1st XV lost 42-8 to a powerful Worthing second-string, the seconds slipped past Gosport & Fareham III 8-5. The thirds lost 71-8 at Romsey III.

And finally, to show the true spirit of rugby is not dead, Stoneham Park fulfilled their fixture with Hamble, but travelled more in hope that expectation, having only 12 fit men.

Hamble had 14 and sportingly lent them two players. The outcome, said Stoneham skipper Tiernan Simmons, was a "bloody good game of rugby".

Hamble scrapped home 24-21.