Field win high scoring game
30 Jan 10 Petersfield 3rd XV 44 v 24 Tottonians 3rd XV
Field win high scoring game
This was an old school game that harked back to the days before players were besotted with supplements, tight shirts, Lycra shorts, body-building and celebrity girlfriends. Both teams shorn of regular players due to injury, availability and the demands of their respective senior club sides came together on a perfect winter’s day to throw the old pig skin around and score some tries and that is just what they did, eleven in all in a frantic, physical but good natured game, well refereed by Andy Beevers.
Tottonians, who came to Penns Place with fifteen men, could only field fourteen, losing a man to injury during the warm up. Home skipper Mark Kent was philosophical about this and warned “I have always said warm ups are dangerous when you get to a certain age, but they battled manfully against a heavier home side and always looked dangerous with ball in hand especially in broken play.”
However, it was ’Field who took the early initiative for a change with the first try of a Higson hat trick coming within ten minutes of kick off. Playing at outside centre Higson jinked, danced and battered his way through a fractured Tott's defence to go over the line for a try, which was converted by Campbell.
Petersfield's second try came from Marsh who, getting his first run out at blindside, grounded the ball after the ’Field forwards applied some sustained pressure through a series of rucks and mauls. With neither side playing with any real attacking or defensive structure to their games, holes were always going to appear and both sides rattled up points from tries scored as a result of broken play running and poor tackling. Groves, Higson and Gargaro got on the scoreboard for Petersfield in response to two tries from Tottonians for a half time score of 31-12.
Both sides obviously had hearty half time team talks, but it was Totts’ who clearly paid the most attention as they came storming out of the blocks to run in two quick tries and to pull the score back to 31-24. With the much heavier pack, who had complete control in the set piece, it was a mystery to the local supporters why ‘Field were persisting in throwing the ball around like a hot potato and not maintaining any periods of sustained pressure.
Eventually the penny dropped and after some barnstorming runs by Matt Phillips and dogged work by the evergreen Ray, ‘Field got a penalty ten metres from the Totts’ try line. Unbelievably the penalty was taken quickly and run into nothing, but the referee wasn't happy with something and Petersfield sensibly elected to scrummage at the reset penalty and from the subsequent drive, Boyd, guesting on the wing, went in at the corner.
With the lead back at twelve points it was time to pile on the pressure and up stepped Higson for his hat trick score, once again using his bulk and dancing feet to get through some weak Tott's defence. There was a sense of anticipation in the crowd that Higson could get more, but fate is cruel mistress and whilst going for gold he succumbed to a hamstring injury that brought him down as though he had been shot by a sniper from the nearby woods.
All credit to the Tott's fourteen that they never gave up and piled on the pressure in the last five minutes to try to finish the game on a high. After a successive series of drives by Tottonians and only a few metres from the home sides try line, Petersfield prop Nick Atkinson was adjudged to have been somewhat indiscriminate with the use of boot whilst rucking – well, it was an old school game and Mr. Beevers had no hesitation in sending him to the bin. Sadly for Totts they couldn't capitalise on their position and turned the ball over for ’Field to clear their lines and allow the referee to blow "no side".
Back in the bar afterwards it was a real pleasure to see both sides chatting and having a beer together discussing the finer points of the game they had just played and looking forward to the return fixture in a few weeks.
