by Chris Hunter

Maidstone Rugby Club must still pay a £2000 fine and lose 50 league points following an attack which left an opposing player blind in one eye.

The club had been due to appeal against the RFU sanctions, but abandoned the case at the start of a hearing scheduled for Thursday night.

Gravesend player Clarence Harding was injured in a match against Maidstone in January 2010, and has maintained he was deliberately gouged ever since.

A hearing in November cleared Maidstone player Matt Iles of any involvement, but RFU officials determined an unidentified Maidstone player had been responsible. They found the club guilty of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game.

Maidstone chairman Andy Golding said he'd felt the club had a strong case until the hearing began.

"They rejected the points we raised very early on in the process," he said. "We came to the decision that they were not going to take notice of our arguments.

"It was a waste of everyone's time," he added. "The outcome was decided from the moment we stepped through the door."

Despite the news, and the club's inevitable relegation from London League 2, he said players' spirits remained high.

The club travel down to the south coast to play Brighton on Saturday.