It required a half-time dressing down by coach Andy Miller to  turn round a lackadaisical and slipshod first half performance from Charlton Park at Basingstoke.

Park's chances weren't enhanced by having two of the substitutes' bench on the field within the first five minutes; hooker Steve Laverie being replaced by Kevin Badger and then Mark English who broke his arm Tom Coad making a welcome return from prolonged injury.

The opening period of play saw the sides share a penalty apiece before Basingstoke took the lead with a converted try after a clever chip had wrong-footed the Charlton defence.

Thor Normann replied with an equally subtle cross-kick which was fielded by Mick Casizzi, now on the wing, and his inside pass put Coad in.

Alan Knuckey's conversion once more levelled the scores.

Charlton seemed unable to string together a series of plays, however, and Basingstoke were pressurising them around the tackle area and moving the ball threatening through their backs.

A converted try which put them 17-10 ahead seemed to galvanise the visitors more.

The scrum has been Park's default position all season and No 8 Rob Saunderson scored the first of his two pushover tries to reduce the deficit.

And then a sweeping move along the backs put Reion Rabye in at the corner so that Park had a barely deserved 20-17 lead at the interval.

After half-time, as the pack got on top and Basingstoke tired, Charlton were able to relax and they added a further five tries, but not before Basingstoke's impressive right wing had scored their third.

The forward dominance was underlined by the second pushover and a penalty try but it enabled the backs to show their passing skills, orchestrated by Normann at fly-half having his best game for some time.

Rabye was put away on an overlap and it was a delight to Park supporters to see him leaving defenders in his wake.

Neil Collins ran a good straight line to score under the posts and the best of all came when four slick passes in the space between the five metre line and touch just enabled Sam Baker to score in the right-hand corner.

Knuckey rediscovered the kicking boots he mystifyingly mislaid in the last game to notch five conversions and a penalty.