PETERSFIELD 5, FORDINGBRIDGE 13

A?TOUGH charity match against the Navy in midweek took its toll on Petersfield who, weakened by injuries, lost a tough Hampshire 1 battle to a young Fordingbridge side.

The first half was scoreless – reminiscent of the 0-0 stalemate against Farnborough in ’Field’s last league fixture.

The first quarter was played pretty much between the 22s. ’Bridge had a try disallowed, while Petersfield’s Kieran Harrington barrelled over the line, only for the referee to declare the ball held up (the home supporters disagreed).

Early in to the second half, Fordingbridge broke the deadlock with a cheeky drop goal by Matt Norton.

It continued to be a dour struggle, but the visitors took heart from their score and took their chances when they came along. Norton scored a try, converting it himself, and added a penalty to make it a full house of points.

Petersfield’s woes increased as Jack Lumbard was yellow-carded for kicking the ball away, but the home side salvaged some pride near the end with a push-over try from a lineout. The strong wind denied them the extras and a losing bonus point.

’Field took comfort in the continuing dominance of their pack and the tight five of Luff, Williams, Brown, Butcher and Patience. Hopefully, some consistency can be found in the back line to enable the team to exploit its undoubted pace.

Petersfield 3rd XV continued their excellent form in the Hampshire Merit South-East with a satisfying 39-0 win over Gosport & Fareham III. ’Field scored seven tries through Sharrock (2), Marsh, Sydenham, Tomic, Groves and Coyte. Groves added two conversions in the tricky conditions. The win keeps ’Field top of the table for Christmas.

Petersfield hold their traditional President’s XV versus The Exiles match on Boxing Day, playing for the Andy Millar Memorial Cup (ko 12 noon).

Come rain, hail or snow, the café and bar will be open. Last year, the Exiles stopped the President’s two-game winning streak. The tale of the tape is now two wins apiece, so it’s all to play for in a fixture that is usually very competitive and high scoring – averaging 70 points a game.