Petersfield 3rd XV (65) v Haslemere 2nd XV (17)

Haslemere is suffering at the moment, with their first team dropping out of Surrey League Three, and their seconds consequently feeling the strain.

The match was one of only a few played in the county due to freezing weather and snow, even neighbouring pitches at Penns Place were deemed to frozen to use. However both teams were determined the match should go ahead, and with a nod from referee Peter Fletcher signaling if the skippers agreed he was happy, it was game on.

In one of the more interesting contests of the afternoon veteran Petersfield forward Ian Cuthbertson faced a younger Haslemere prop, Adam Cotye. Adam played all his youth rugby at Petersfield before shifting allegiance to 'Mere. As a youngster he was a lightweight winger and regularly watched the bigger and bulkier Cuthberton, then playing for the first team, giving visiting props a torrid time. More than 15 years later the duo met on equal terms. Although the younger man struggled, he did enough to slow Cuthberstons aggressive scrummaging, gaining his team mates valuable time to scramble the ball away. However Cuthbertson was determined the final word would be his, and saving the best till the last scrum of the match, he lifted Coyte and drove him back. Afterward a ruefull Coyte said the older man might be getting on, but he was still more than a handful. And that summed Petersfield up, they were always too much for the visitors, who despite being overwhelmed doggedly refused to give in.

From the kick off the home side came within a metre of what could have been the quickest score seen at Penns Place. Fly half Alex Grove lofted the ball high and as the visitors squinted upward in a vain effort to see it descending out of the sun, Petersfield flanker Toby Sydenham raced through, caught it and sprinted for the try line. Only a forceful cover tackle by the defending winger brought down the 17-year-old just short of the score. But for the next twenty minutes 'Field ticked over a point a minute, leaving the visitors reeling.

Haslemere captain Sam Hawkes said afterward: "We started slowly and paid for it, and from then on we were trying to play catch up, but we couldn't." However Haslemere almost clawed their way back into the game, their first for almost a month due to bad weather and cancellations, with a glorious purple patch that saw them gain three tries. Each was well crafted, with the visitors patiently working their way toward the 'Field try line and then snatching their chances when the gaps in the defence appeared. At one stage they were threatening a serious comeback, until the pace, ability and aggression of Petersfields younger players, Toby Faulkner, Sydenham, Jack Glancy, Sam Ward, Ben Hooper, Sam Pierce and Harley Orr, hammered the final nails into their coffin.

Hawkes said: "Although we lost, it was good to get back on the park after a few weeks without a game."

Report by: Jon Walker