ISLE OF WIGHT 57, PETERSFIELD 10

PETERSFIELD suffered their fifth straight league defeat last Saturday and it was a comprehensive loss to fellow strugglers Isle of Wight.

The short hop across the Solent continues to be an issue for ’Field who seldom return from the island with any sort of reward.

Max Kemp and Chris Adams recorded the tries that gave the score a little respectability, but the 40-point margin was a bitter pill to swallow after the team had played so well to almost steal an unlikely victory against fourth-placed Millbrook in their previous match.

Coach Andy Patience agreed that the team did not play to their full potential and were beaten by the better team on the day. “But I’m delighted with the terrific team spirit and togetherness shown by not only the squad but the senior section as a whole,” he added.

There are no league matches this week and Petersfield will aim to iron out a few faults in their game when they travel to Hastings & Bexhill for a Hampshire Cup fixture.

While the 1st XV were struggling ‘overseas’, Petersfield 2nd XV were taking care of business at Penns Place, beating Chineham II 19-5 in a friendly. It was ’Field’s fifth win on the bounce and sets them up nicely for their next league match, away to fourth-placed Portsmouth III.

Petersfield could have had more than the three tries they scored – Brophy and Orr in the first half and Samworth in the second – but the execution was not as sharp as it could have been.

First, scrum-half Brophy touched down as the pack shoved Chineham over the line from a five-metre scrum. Orr sniped over from close range after another five-metre scrum. Finally, Samworth converted pressure into points as Petersfield drove their opponents off a defensive scrum.

Despite the unpredictable wind, Groves converted two of the tries and came close with an almost impossible third kick, the ball just fading in the stiff wind.

The Petersfield 3rd XV visited near-neighbours Alton and just edged the match 33-29, making it three win in a row.