Petersfield Rugby Club’s colts teamed up with Pulborough to form a Barbarian team for a match against Portsmouth.
Because of a lack of players, Petersfield’s colts have formed some strategic alliances with other clubs to try to ensure the players get as much time on the field as possible. The most successful of these partnerships has been with Pulborough.
The Portsmouth game was the second time Petersfield and Pulborough pulled together to form a colts Barbarian team.
Portsmouth had finished their league and cup campaign undefeated, and despite the enthusiasm from the newly-formed team, they were unlikely to upset the apple cart.
The game kicked off and the Barbarians quickly found their stride with a try on seven minutes, ably converted by Whitear.
Portsmouth then piled on the pressure, and although the Babarians defended well and probably dominated the lineouts, the well-drilled Portsmouth team left no gap unexplored and no tackle missed.
Despite the best efforts of the Barbarians, Portsmouth ran in the next six tries. In the final ten minutes the Barbarians managed to strike and convert a well-deserved try to leave the final scoreline a bit more respectable for a team who have not trained together.
It has been a difficult season for the Petersfield Colts. The squad have struggled for numbers but things are looking more promising for the new season which starts in September.
In a recent next year’s colts match, Petersfield fielded an impressive 35-strong squad.