PETERSFIELD 53, NEW MILTON 17

PETERSFIELD rounded off a triumphant season by beating New Milton at Penns Place on Saturday and pipping them for the Hampshire 1 championship.

’Field went into the match knowing they could only win the league and gain automatic promotion back to the London leagues if they scored a bonus-point victory, while denying New Milton a bonus point of their own.

This appeared to be an improbable outcome, given that New Milton’s match average this season was 40 points for to 11 against. Petersfield, however, had a psychological advantage, having recorded an impressive 32-37 victory over New Milton in the first game of the season.

As it transpired, the home team had the game in the bag midway through the second quarter, despite New Milton scoring first.

The New Forest side had lost the battle, but could they win the war by nicking a four-try bonus? It looked ominous for ’Field as New Milton scored their second try and then a third.

But the reds have grown greatly this season under new coach James Alder and there is now a rugby brain to go with the side’s obdurate streak.

The tries conceded by ’Field were down to their own mistakes. In open play, New Milton had nothing to hurt them, so Petersfield resolved to finish the game on the front foot. The best form of defence, after all, is attack; the opposition can’t score tries if you have the ball. That said, Petersfield were solid in defence when it mattered, with big hits going in all over the park, despite the bone-hard surface.

It is not for nothing that ’Field have the best defensive record in the league, having conceded almost 100 points less than the second-best team, Fordingbridge.

Petersfield’s pack again showed their mastery of the set-piece and also dominated most of the loose play. The supremacy of skipper Dan Luff and his forwards forced New Milton to eschew the set-piece option from penalties.

The ’Field backs, having stuttered in the last two matches, switched to simple, more effective rugby; straight running, quick handling, and send the fast men through the gaps. Five of their tries were scored through the backs.

A try by Brendan Treacey, converted by Adam Lavis, was the start that New Milton wanted.

Forward power got ’Field going and flanker Toby Sydenham was escorted over the line at the back of a line-out drive. Josh Haslett missed narrowly with the conversion, but opened his kicking account as Petersfield followed up with a second try. Stand-off Jack Glancy sent a grubber kick close to the line and Seb Tuff did superbly well to secure the ball with his fingertips and cross over near the posts.

The reds now raised their game to a ferocious level that New Milton couldn’t live with. Lanky second row Franko Tomic drove over near the corner after a number of rucks to put Milton 10 points in arrears and their cause wasn’t helped by a yellow card for their stand-off.

’Field took advantage. Glancy’s long, lofted pass put several defenders out of the picture and the lightning-fast Tuff did the rest; 22-7 and the bonus point.

Two minutes before the break, scrum-half Michael Robbins dived over from close range for the fifth try, and Petersfield were out of sight.

New Milton kicked off on the restart, but immediately found themselves under pressure. Tuff set off from inside his own half on a graceful, curving run and, believing he had the pace to finish the job, declined Gareth Macgillivray’s support and outran everyone to the line.

Glancy turned from provider to scorer with a pacey run of his own up the middle, leaving Haslett an easy kick for his third conversion. Another Milton player was sin-binned for a high tackle on Glancy as he grounded the ball.

A tiring ’Field began to concede soft penalties in the final quarter and New Milton at last had some territorial advantage as they strove to score the tries they needed so desperately. They scored one through Sam Bew, but then fumbled the restart kick, gifting ’Field a five-metre scrum and the pack walked No 8 Harley Orr over the line.

Haslett converted and the half-century target was exceeded courtesy of another backs move, this one finished by young speedster Eddie Matthews.

New Milton had already pulled back their third try, Lewis Waugh scoring from a tap-and-go penalty move, and the possibility of seeing the title slip away spurred the crowd to even greater volume.

The roar that met a ’Field scrum in front of the clubhouse stiffened sinew and tightened resolve and that ninth try that was the cherry on the icing on a pretty big cake.

As the sporting adage goes, ‘leave everything on the pitch’, and Petersfield did just that.

“The boys really stepped up and played under great pressure,” said coach Alder. “Every player contributed to an exciting game. New Milton scored against the run of play and that was enough to light the fire. Tom Franks and Seb Tuff (Man of the Match) knocked the confidence out of the opposition and it inspired us to give our best performance of the season.

“It was a pleasure to witness the way the tries were scored. Defence was a massive part of improving the team and we finish with the best defence in the league.”

Petersfield still have the Hampshire Plate final to look forward to. They will play Farnborough at Penns Place on Sunday, April 23. Then onto London 3 South-West next season.

* New Milton now have to play Old Whitgiftians, who finished runners-up behind Surrey 1 winners Old Emanuel, in the play-off for the third promotion place.