Although grey clouds threatened overhead, the pitches of Wildwood Lane in Cranleigh remained dry, although the effects of past rain made themselves known, making the match ahead sure to be a muddy one. As Petersfield Women arrived at the club ahead of their 2:30pm kick-off, Cranleigh could be seen sporting their red and blue checked kit warming up.

Spectators trickled in bit by bit to support their squad and see who would come out of this friendly fixture victorious, while both dogs and coaches alike could be heard barking encouragement.

At the starting whistle, Cranleigh kicked off play and both teams tried to find their feet through the thick of the pitch. Cranleigh seemed to find them quicker, using fast hands and clever positioning to break through the Petersfield defensive line and secure the first five of the match just 6 minutes in. Despite a good effort, the conversion was not secured, so the score stayed at 5-0. As play continued, the Cranfordians capitalized on their lead and ‘Field’s early disappointment to pressure their possession back into their opponents half, working the edges of the field to find a gap. 7 minutes later, Cranleigh found the try line again to put the score at 10-0. Another unfortunate conversion kick kept the score there.

‘Field continued to try and put out the fire brewing from the home side, but their dominance in the first half was undeniable. Despite some heavy hits and chasedowns to deny Cranleigh another five, they could not be held back for long as they scored another try 16 minutes into the game. 15-0.

As a disheartened Petersfield stood in a huddle under the posts as the conversion was missed, they gave themselves a good talking to, discussing a new strategy to keep the Cranfordians at bay and create some try-scoring opportunities of their own. You could sense a shift in the visitors mentality here, with their attacking shapes slotting into place and their speed at the ruck from number 9 Maz Gregory giving them chances to reach the wings and make a break for it. Despite this, though, Cranleigh held their own and ‘Field struggled to break all the way through, denying the Rams from getting on the scoreboard.

Just before half-time, Cranleigh scored two more, winning the physical battle against the last of the ‘Field defence. No conversions made puts the half-time score at 25-0. As both teams headed to the changing rooms for a pep talk, it was clear which side needed to dig deep going into the second.

Petersfield fullback Tegan Kinch sent the ball high in the air to start the stopwatch the second time around, with a newfound determination on the visitor’s faces. Cranleigh seemed a little ruffled from this change in play, with several Petersfield players breaking past defenders and staying strong at the rucks. The sounds of encouragement could be heard in waves through the sidelines, egging the Rams on to find some redemption. Some beautiful split-second decisions from the backs made points look inevitable, however Cranleigh rallied back into their wall to keep both hands securely on their clean sheet.

Although true determination and spirit was shown by Petersfield in the second half, a marked difference from their first-half performance, they struggled to keep any grip on the game and the Cranfordians once again asserted their dominance with two tries to tie up the game. Thankfully for them, a conversion was also made, sending the final score to 39-0.

This Petersfield side unfortunately struggled to find their rhythm for this game, being away from home and without their all-important bomb squad, injuries and tired legs meant that they were on the backfoot throughout, and sadly couldn’t find a way through the undeniable strength of the determined Cranleigh side.

In a team talk after, Coach Cam Thomas spoke to his team about the heart they showed throughout the game and praised them for never giving up.

“Defeats are inevitable and we need to be prepared to learn from them going forward and not let them define us.”

Wise words from the bossman.

Petersfield will look to find retribution in their upcoming fixture against Fawley on the 26th April.

Thank you for your ongoing support for Petersfield Women through it all. See you next time!

[Photo Credit: Michael Clayden]