THE STARS came out and so did the fans on Tuesday, October 11, to honour Basingstoke Bison Tony Redmond as he became the first player to reach 10 years' service with the team.

All the hard work by everyone involved, especially his wife Emma, ensured it was a great evening.

It was enjoyed by a good-sized crowd, many of whom were wearing old shirts from the different seasons that Redmond had played with the club.

With Redmond's Scottish roots, the two teams in action on the night were called Tony's Tartan Army and The Hairy Haggis and, before the action started, a piper played Flower of Scotland.

It was a fun night from start to finish, as the players enjoyed themselves as much as the crowd, who were entertained with mock fights and by referee Dave Cloutman, who put himself in the sin bin.

He also gave his uniform to Bison forward Shaun Thompson, who turned a blind eye as players from his team piled in on fellow forward Mark Galazzi, who was playing in goal.

It was also nice to see a forward line of just Redmonds, as Tony once more played alongside his brother Kenny and nephew Conor, who scored a couple of goals.

Kenny's other son, Anthony, and Tony's own children, Lucy and Joseph, were mascots on the night, as they joined in a great evening for the whole family.

It proved to be a a night to remember for a player who arrived as a fresh-faced teenager, joining his older brother Kenny in the autumn of 1992.

During his three spells he has helped various Basingstoke sides to the Heineken division one crown as well as two Benson and Hedges Plate triumphs in Sheffield.

In the end-of-game speeches, he received glowing accolades from current Bison coach Mark Bernard and, from the early days of his career at Basingstoke, Paul Biffen, who was involved in bringing him South.

After another memorable night in a distinguished career, Redmond said: "This has been a very special evening for me and I would like to thank all the players for spending it with me tonight, and to the fans for turning up and supporting me as they have done since I arrived as an 18-year-old, when they took me under their wing.

"I would also like to thank all the sponsors and the committee for their hard work, as it has taken six months to put this game together and, especially, to my wife Emma, as she has been working on it 24/7."