CHIPPENHAM Town manager Tommy Saunders is facing up to a summer of change at Hardenhuish Park after star men Nathan Rudge and James Bent turned down new deals to stay with the club.

And Matt Rawlins, who has bagged 22 goals from right midfield this term, has yet to sign the contract he was offered last week after attracting attention from Second Division Northampton Town and a clutch of non-league clubs.

Saunders, whose playing budget has been increased after promotion from the Dr Martens Western Division last season, made moves to keep all of his out-of-contract players last week but has yet to receive a firm response from any of them.

Only Steve Weaver, Steve Tweddle, Shane Andrews, Mark Harrington and Adie Mings have contracts that extend into next season.

Premier Division rivals Tiverton Town are hot on the trail of 21-year-old Rudge, who Chippenham can command a fee for due to his age, while ex-Yeovil striker Bent wants to leave in order to further his ambitions of a career in the professional game.

Saunders has criticised both players for making excessive wage demands and has slapped a £20,000 price tag on the head of defensive lynchpin Rudge.

Said Saunders: "The first club that offers us £20,000 for Nathan can have him. And if it goes to a tribunal we will ask for £30,000, because Tiverton could sell him for £100,000 later on.

"If he says he is going somewhere else for any reason other than money, then I don't believe him.

"We've offered him improved terms, but he'd rather travel 100 miles to play for a club that aren't as good as us. Tiverton have got absolutely no chance of winning promotion nest year.

"He's been offered great money and I just can't understand it.

"I've spoken to James Bent as well and have offered him a similar wage to what he was earning as a full-timer at Yeovil. But he wants a basic wage of far more than that, so he has gone as well.

"He could have got himself a job on top of what we were paying him, but he wants more money. We just won't pay it. If I went to the committee and asked for that sort of money I would get laughed at."

Rudge has helped Chippenham to back-to-back promotions over the last few years and would be sorely missed at the heart of the defence. He has his heart set on a move to Tiverton and hopes the Bluebirds will be sensible over the asking price.

Said Rudge: "I asked the club for what I wanted, but they couldn't come up with it. We were quite far apart to be honest, although it was an increase on what I was on last year.

"I'm disappointed. I've served them for two seasons and would have thought they would have rewarded their better players with better contracts.

"Chippenham have been brilliant for me, but I want to be paid accordingly. I'm worth what I think I'm worth and Tiverton will come up with it.

"I'm on the transfer list now and I hope the two chairmen can sort something out. But it isn't all about money. Martyn Rogers (Tiverton manager) said his ambition is to win it and that's what you want to hear. I hope Chippenham will be realistic about my value. To price me out of a move after all I've done there would be unfair."

Tiverton boss Rogers laughed off Chippenham's valuation of transfer target Rudge and is ready to go to a tribunal to get his man.

He said: "I think they are living in cloud cuckoo land. The selling club will always over-inflate, but our club will go through the right channels and my chairman will speak to the Chippenham chairman. We will go to a tribunal if they can't agree a price."

Frontman Bent, although he is only 22, can move for free under the terms of the agreement he drew up with Saunders when he signed from Yeovil in January. He is currently talking to an unnamed Nationwide League club and two Nationwide Conference sides and is hungry to return to full time football after a successful stint at Chippenham.

Said Bent: "It is not just that they haven't offered me enough money. I want to go full time next year and can't do that at Chippenham.

"I've loved my time there and the fans have really taken me to their hearts. But I've got ambitions to play in the league and, at 22, I need to be playing in a higher league at this stage in my career.

"The money was the last of my worries really, but Chippenham will need to pay more money to attract players to play in that league."

Former Arsenal trainee Rawlins is another mulling over his future after receiving a contract offer from Saunders. Northampton Town are just one of the clubs also interested in securing the versatile striker's services.

Said Rawlins: I'll just see how it goes. There are a few non-league sides interested in me, and I've got to make a few phone calls before I decide what I am going to do."

But Saunders is not short of options should all three players move on in the summer.He said: "I've received 70 CV's from players since we got promoted and am also putting an advert in The Non-League Paper this week.

"I have also been in contact with all the local professional clubs.

"What my players have to remember is that there will be 600 or 700 league players looking for a club in the summer. I wanted to keep all of them, but if they don't want to stay then I won't lose any sleep over it."