Maidstone Rugby Club have appealed against the 50 point deduction handed down to them by the RFU.

The club were hit with the huge points deduction, along with a £2,000 fine, following an eye-gouging incident which left Gravesend’s Clarence Harding blind in one eye.

Club chairman Andy Golding (pictured) said: "The integrity of the club is paramount and we’ve consulted with our members and officers.

"We’ve decided to appeal because we don’t agree with the findings of the panel.

"It is now in the hands of the RFU and it’s down to them if we have grounds for an appeal."

The club were awaiting a response on Tuesday after submitting their appeal on Monday.

The incident occured during a Kent Cup tie in January 2010.

Charges were brought against Maidstone last December after one of their players, Matt Illes, was found not guilty of gouging Mr Harding.

However, the RFU disciplinary panel, who heard the case, decided that an unidentified Maidstone player had committed the offence and the club appeared before a three-man panel on January 12 where they were found guilty of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game.

The club play in London 2 South East and a 50 point deduction would leave them on -21 points, effectively relegating them.