Petersfield 22pts, Alton 25pts

IT wasn’t quite typhoon conditions at Penns Place, but on a miserable, drizzly day, Alton Silverbacks made the short trip to Petersfield and triumphed 25-22 in a gruelling encounter.

Both teams began with 100 per cent records, but Alton knew that this would be their toughest test so far this season and they stood up to the task magnificently. Even when the momentum seemed to be swinging away from them, the whole squad stood defensively strong and they ran out deserved winners.

Petersfield have been playing at a higher standard in recent years, this was the first derby in five years, so they may not have known what to expect from their local rivals. They soon were to realise, however, as Alton started the game brightly.

Oliver Burden joined the line and stormed down the left wing, passing deftly for Cameron Wicks to score in the corner. From far out wide, Joe Gwyther kicked a magnificent conversion and Alton led 7-0.

Field had started sluggishly and, with backs and forwards combining well, Alton made light work of the difficult conditions early on. Defensively, too, Alton had the upper hand with Dan Napier making a statement with a hard tackle as Field tried to make some progress upfield.

Burden was, at this stage, a constant threat down the left wing and combined well with Harry Devonshire, but they were thwarted by the Field defence just short of the line. A few minutes later, it was Wicks that made the line break after some good passing in midfield, and Burden was there again to extend the Alton lead after 12 minutes. Gwyther converted again for a 14-0 lead.

Jeremy Powell was replaced by Alex George after a knee injury but the forwards momentum was unchanged. Field struggled to get any field position as Ben Burrage was winning lineouts at will, and Nick Stoffel, Karter Whittock and all of the pack punched holes in midfield, giving fast ball to the Alton backs.

In contrast, Field’s possession was slow ball and they rarely entered Alton territory.

Gwyther missed a drop goal and Field established some confidence and pushed into the Alton half, and after Alton conceded a penalty, Field took it quickly and scored after some nice passing after 34 minutes.

After Harry Devonshire was replaced by Dave Shepherd as a precaution, Field were then given a yellow card. Gwyther converted the penalty after 37 minutes to extend the lead, but Field quickly came back with a penalty of their own as Alton were penalised for not releasing.

Although trailing 17-8 at half time, Field would have not been displeased by the scoreline given the pattern of the game and the knowledge they were playing with the slope in the second half.

Field started the half roared on from the balcony by the Penns Place faithful and it was now Alton’s turn to feel the pressure. You could have been forgiven for believing it was Alton down to 14 men, as Field gained control of territory and possession.

With a fast defensive line, Field were now pressurising the Alton backs into mistakes. Chris Gregory came on to add much needed bulk to the forwards defensive effort as Field piled on the pressure. Whenever Alton kicked upfield, it was returned with interest by the Field backs and inevitably Field reduced the deficit with a score under the posts after a break down the right wing. The game had changed completely, and all of the momentum was with Field to cut the gap to 17-15.

The crowd poured more pressure on to Alton who looked a little shaken and their slick handling of the first half was now a memory as the rain continued to fall. Field made some errors of their own and failed to hold onto the slippery ball on several occasions, trying to force another try. Alton’s scrum stood tall and never took a step backwards, forcing a couple of penalties as Alton slowly regained their composure.

Burden made his first jinking run of the half, kicked the ball from hand and Field were penalised for a late hit. Inch by inch, Alton moved upfield with neither side giving any ground easily.

With ten minutes left, Field were now becoming more desperate as they ran the ball from well inside their own half, ultimately leading to them conceding a penalty. The partisan crowd fell silent, and Gwyther kicked the points to the delight of the Alton supporters to stretch the lead to 20-15 with only seven minutes remaining.

As the players inevitably tired, ball handling errors became more prominent with time running out but the cool head of Gwyther calmly kicked to the corner. After 78 minutes, the backs combined well again and Shepherd nearly scored under the posts but the ball was dislodged. The referee ruled that ball was dropped backwards and with the Field defence scrambling to defend their left wing, Gwyther fooled everyone by changing the point of attack to the blindside. Burrage collected the long pass, neatly stepped the defender and passed to the veteran Gregory who was never going to be stopped from five metres and scored the decisive try in the corner to a huge roar.

Alton now top the Hampshire Premier table and without doubt know that they can compete at this level.