with overcast weather and temperatures starting to hit the winter jacket mark many Petersfield residents would have had a quiet and cosy autumn Sunday in tucking into their roast dinners or recovering from their Saturday night hangovers. This wasn't the case at Penns Place where over 300 kids between the ages of 5 and 18 took to the field in a whirlwind of a day for the red white and green!

Starting at the latest kick off of the day, our Under 18s transcended to the top of Hampshire Division 1 with a bonus point win over Basingstoke RFC in a war of attrition on Pitch 1. Coach Nick Blumlein with the help of ChatGPT had the following to report on:

Petersfield Colts Secure Impressive Victory Over Basingstoke

PRFC Colts continued their strong start to the season with a thrilling 29-24 win against a formidable Basingstoke side on Sunday afternoon. The home team showed great resilience, overturning a half-time deficit to make it two wins from two in Hampshire Division 1.

Petersfield opened the scoring through Player of the Match Reece Beattie, who capitalised on immense pressure from a dominant scrum to score the first try. Zach Harris added the extras with a well-taken conversion, giving the Colts an early 7-0 lead. However, Basingstoke responded strongly, crossing the try line after sustained pressure, narrowing the gap to 7-5.

A successful penalty kick from Harris extended Petersfield’s lead to 10-5, but Basingstoke fought back again, levelling the game at 10-10 just before half-time.

The second half saw Basingstoke start on the front foot, scoring a converted try to take a 17-10 lead. But Petersfield’s determination soon showed. A powerful run and offload from Ru off a lineout led to Jamie Guthrie’s first try, levelling the score at 17-17.

Momentum swung in Petersfield’s favour when Guthrie broke through the middle of Basingstoke’s defence for his second try, pushing the home side ahead 22-17. The final score came from Ollie Chads, who finished off a brilliant attacking move sparked by a superb box kick and chase from Beattie. Guthrie’s quick thinking set up Chads for the decisive try, extending the lead to 29-17.

Basingstoke fought until the end, scoring a late try to make it 29-24, but it wasn’t enough to stop Petersfield from securing a vital victory. The win solidifies their position in the league with maximum points from two games.

After the game, Head Cone Picker Upper Andy Barnes commented, “A lot of people doubted us this season and didn’t want us in Division 1, but we knew the talent and hunger amongst this group and believe we can go a long way. Our goal every week is to get better and make sure the boys are having fun, and wins will come.”

Next week, Petersfield travel to New Milton, looking to go three wins from three and continue their undefeated run in Hampshire Division 1.

Prior to the Under 18s triumph, our Under 16 1st XV secured a convincing win over a defensively strong Romsey side, running away with a bonus point victory in the end as coach Andy Cokayne reported....

Petersfield U16s Power Past Romsey in Thrilling 40-17 Victory!

The U16 1st team took an early setback just before kick-off against Romsey, with two players pulling out through injury and illness, leaving the squad down to 16. With the U16 2s playing away in Havant, there was no cavalry to call on.

The first 10 minutes were fairly even, with shots being fired by both sides, but defences stood up to the challenges until a sleek move from right to left through the hands out wide to the winger saw Romsey score in the corner. The attempted conversion was missed, but Romsey got their noses in front, 0-5.

This helped kickstart the team into action, and from the resulting restart, Petersfield regained possession and went on a sustained attack, utilising multiple phases with the forward pods and interchanging well with the backs. The forwards kept punching holes in the Romsey defence, and after a steal at the ruck by Romsey in their 22, it seemed the danger had been averted. However, Will Loud was quick off the mark from the back of the ruck to charge down the clearing kick, and Max McCreadie was on hand to pick up and score under the posts. Issac Bowerbank slotted the conversion to give Petersfield a 7-5 lead.

A good take at the restart enabled the forwards to secure the ball for a long clearance downfield by Joe Prendergast. The forwards then put pressure on at the lineout and kept forcing Romsey backwards, leading to a penalty for holding on in the ruck. Issac kicked us to within 8 metres of their line. The resulting lineout and phase play saw Felix Berry cut inside the on-rushing defence and crash over the whitewash. The conversion was slotted by Issac, increasing the lead to 14-5.

Romsey continued to attack at every breakdown, leading to a good turnover in the Petersfield half. The ball was shipped out to the backs, and their openside flanker picked up the offload to crash through the defence and outpace the cover to score in the corner. The attempted conversion was again missed, cutting Petersfield's lead to 14-10.

Petersfield were then forced to make their only change midway through the first half due to an injury sustained by Ted Morrison at inside centre. Elliot Howell came on and immediately picked up the pace, making some lovely line breaks with his legendary 70s side-step and linking up well with Ollie Cronk, who stepped into the line from fullback. They ran from inside their own half, and with a lovely switch out wide, Elliot popped the ball back inside to Ollie Cronk, who scored in the corner. Joe Prendergast stepped up with his long-range boot but pushed it just wide of the left post.

Half-time: 19-10

The second half got underway similarly to the first half, with most of the game battled out in midfield, neither side gaining momentum, and with many turnovers. Romsey were penalised for going off their feet and sealing off at the ruck. Issac kicked within 10 metres of the try line. From the lineout, a maul was set, and the forwards drove to within 2 metres of the line. The ball went out to the backs, who came back towards the forwards, and Ben Mosley used his size and power to crash through the tiring defence. Issac converted to make it 26-10.

Midway through the second half, blindside flanker Max McCreadie took a knock and was forced off, leaving the team to battle with only 14 players. Romsey sportingly took off a player to keep the numbers even.

Petersfield were on the attack when a kick pass from Isaac was gathered by Teddy Giffin on the right wing. He ran towards the defence, chipped through twice, and managed to regather under the posts for a superb individual try, leaving three defenders in his wake. Isaac converted to make the scoreline 33-10.

Romsey continued to battle, using their big ball carriers, but were repeatedly stopped by big defensive tackles from the Petersfield pack. This forced Romsey into kicking deep, putting Ollie under pressure. After a slip and a heavy collision with the tackler, Ollie was forced off for a HIA. Petersfield were down to 13 players, fighting hard against Romsey's 14.

Inevitably, space opened up wide, which Romsey exploited, managing to score close enough to the posts for their flyhalf to slot the extra 2 points, closing the gap to 33-17. With only 13 players on the pitch, Romsey believed a comeback was on the cards; however, the 13 from Petersfield had other ideas. A quick break from their own half saw number eight Oscar Jones crash through the Romsey defence. With Elliot and Teddy outside him and only one more to beat, a score for the backs looked certain. Oscar cut back infield and outpaced the Romsey backs to score under the posts, allowing Isaac to slot his 5th conversion of the day, taking the score to 40-17.

With minutes remaining, Sam Newton was penalised at the breakdown for slowing down the Romsey ball and was yellow-carded, leaving Petersfield to see out the game with 12 players. With the hooker off the field, Felix stepped up to throw in the ball at the lineout. Ben Mosley secured it at the front, and a kick into touch saw the end of the game. A great win and a thoroughly entertaining match from both sides.

Final score: 40-17

The next league match is away to Bournemouth on 20th October.

The Under 16 2nd XV were also in action as they headed down the A3 diversion (like plenty of people over the weekend...) to face Havant's development side as coach Stuie Mercer reports....

Valiant Effort from PRFC U16 2nd XV Despite Loss to Havant!

With the A3 closed southbound, the 20-minute journey to Havant RFC felt more like an hour. Making sure we all had our locking wheel nuts firmly tightened, we gathered our kit ready for the task ahead.

A travelling U16 team with only 12 players due to injuries from the day before took to the paddock against a strong and organised Havant squad, who very kindly lent us 2 players.

We knew today would be an uphill struggle from the off, and every player understood their job: to compete at every opportunity.

It was a matter of minutes before Havant took a great flat ball and broke Peef's defensive line, making it 7-0. As the minutes rumbled by, Petersfield kept good shape in defence, keeping the home side at bay. However, with no full-back, the backfield was open play, and Havant could see the space; a simple chip over and the winger was away for their 2nd try.

From the kick-off, you could feel the intensity. With good momentum and slick hands, our speedy hooker Grisha hit a flat ball at pace, breaking through 2 tackles[/b, only to be hooked back by the defending centre by his collar. The referee saw this as a dangerous high tackle, awarding a penalty try and [b]7 points, along with a yellow card… Now it gets interesting…

It was defence, defence, defence for a solid 5 minutes until a clever through ball to the winger saw Havant stretch their lead before half-time.

The second half started with the same intensity, with Havant unloading the bench with fresh legs. Peef had to dig deep in defence. Another kick to the corner landed in space, adding 7 more points to Havant’s score. The next 10 minutes felt like an eternity, with another try converted following some great draw and pass with a 2-man overlap.

Petersfield came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders, keeping the ball in hand, but it went to ground. Havant sealed off quickly and went to ground, drawing the penalty. A kick to touch just outside the 5m line gave the forwards a chance to show their strength. A dummy jump and hard front ball to Ed P, the loose head, allowed him to barrel his way over for the try. Unfortunately, the conversion was from a tight angle, just skimming the post.

From here, the last 10 minutes of the game could have gone either way, with Havant kicking a penalty and Peef defending hard.

With the final whistle bringing relief to some tired legs, we can happily say the PRFC U16s 2s played out of their skins, despite the final score of 38-12 in favour of Havant.

A very proud day for the coaches and players.
Mercer - OUT

Unfortunately our Under 15s clash at Wimborne was called off meaning no match report for them this week. It was a successful day for our Under 14 Chargers however, who dominated against Vectis as coach John Nicholls reports...

Petersfield Chargers' Strong Start to the Cup

The game began positively for Field, with an impressive kickoff return from Charlie H., the wing extraordinaire. In his first competitive touch of the season after returning from injury, he finished beautifully in the corner. Fly-half Will D. converted the try, marking the beginning of a successful day for conversions and an extraordinary performance by the number 10 around the pitch.

Tries followed thick and fast from other players: Isaac M. scored one from the wing, inside centre Harry N. added another, and hooker Nate W. crossed the line twice. Prop Albert P. also got in on the action with a second-half try, which was converted by Harry T., who switched from outside centre to fly-half after the break, bringing the score to an impressive 50 with his conversion to end the game.

Defensively, the Petersfield Chargers displayed ferocious and largely flawless tackling. Standout performances came from the midfield centre pair and the back and second row, with Finlay M., Tom B., Ted G., and Felix L. all making significant contributions at the breakdown and in contact. Rory H. had a man of the match performance, carrying like a monster and earning the admiration of the Vectis lads.

Captain John C. delivered a stellar performance and added a try of his own in regulation and in the friendly time that ensued, while James N. shone in his debut at fullback with a score that finished a great team move. He was replaced by the on-fire Oli N. in the second half, who also scored a try as the teams transitioned to a friendly fixture with mixed teams after the score hit 50.

Jack W. was formidable at scrum-half, demonstrating relentless tenacity in what was arguably his best performance of the season. In the second half, Ben C. and Johnny D. came on as substitutes on the wing and at scrum-half, respectively, both making significant impacts on the attack. Meanwhile, Soren E. and Frank B. entered the pack, each making turnovers in terrier-like fashion.

Vectis fought hard throughout the match, maintaining their spirits and competing in great form.

Overall, it was a strong start to the cup for the Chargers, fostering a positive atmosphere within the squad. This victory was also a fitting birthday present for centre Mitchell T., who cheered on his team, supported by a big crowd of happy fans.

Last but not least for our youth sides in match action, our Under 13s impressed on their first ever competitive fixture as they hosted Fordingbridge on Pitch 1, as coach John Houlton reported...

Petersfield Under 13s Shine in First Competitive Cup Match

The Under 13s were excited to play their first-ever competitive cup match and had the privilege of playing on Pitch 1.

At home, we faced a Fordingbridge side ranked six places above us.

The game started very evenly, with some strong tackling from both sides. Six minutes in, Petersfield captain George V. picked the ball up on the 10m line and broke through to run the entire length of the pitch to score a superb opening try.

A scrappy passage of play followed, with a number of missed passes and knock-ons from both sides. Fordingbridge were camping in the Petersfield half, applying pressure, and were only stopped from scoring by phenomenal tackling from Aidan and William. A charged-down Petersfield kick led to Fordingbridge getting back on par.

Fordingbridge played some great rugby, getting the ball wide, and with a very powerful No. 3 driving hard, they scored three more tries before half-time.

With some fresh legs, the second half started at pace. A magnificent chip from the Fordingbridge 10 was run onto by Fordingbridge 12, who displayed some magical football skills to keep the ball up and get over the line for a try.

A number of missed tackles in the following phases led to another quick try from Fordingbridge.

The packs were taking control in the second half with some strong tackling, rucking, and the odd maul. Fordingbridge got a controversial try in the corner to extend the lead beyond Petersfield's reach.

Petersfield dug deep in the last quarter and showed character beyond their years. The speed of the rucking increased, and they didn’t lose a breakdown or scrum. Some great solo runs and superb tackling led to another breakaway try by George V. Petersfield wanted more and continued applying the pressure before the game finished early due to injury, with the score at 8-4.

A great first experience for all the kids, looking very smart in their shirts and ties. Onwards to the next match!

Although the youth match action stopped their at Penns Place on Sunday, our Girls Section were treated to a joint training session with Havant in what was a fantastic morning of rugby, as described by coach Tom Guy...

The three girls squads, U12, U14 & U16 were hosting joint training with Havant and Haslemere in preparation for their respective upcoming leagues matches and Pitch Up & Play (PUP) festivals. By the end of the session, the girls had really gelled as demonstrated by great handling and teamwork in the small sided games. Some useful connections made with our visitors and one enthuisatic new starter for U14 squad. These girls are on the up; if you want to get involved, get in touch

Moving into the minis section,
The final piece of action from this weekends rugby was centred around our minis section,
with our Under 12s hosting Alton in a fantastic morning of rugby described by coach Nicki Rosewarne as...

The Under 12s also had a home fixture in the form of a friendly match against Alton. The team went 2-0 down towards the end of the first quarter. The team dug deep to fight back to 2-2. The second half they were on fire, an all round great performance from every single player against a. Very strong Alton team to see a home win 5-3! a good day at the office !

The rest of our minis section visited Haslemere RFC in their annual tri-county tournament! Here's what Under 8s coach Owain had to say...

"A great turnout by the U8s Mini Rams fielding 4 squads for the Haselmere Festival! The standard of play was excellent and all 29 players who represented the club this weekend did the badge and the club very proud."

Once again a huge thank you to the coaches for their creative writing skills and we look forward to more reports next week! Also a special shout-out to all the players who took part over the weekend—your hard work and determination shone brightly on the pitch! Keep up the excellent work, and let’s carry this energy into the next matches!