Petersfield took two bonus points from their Regional Two South Central League match at Penns Place on Saturday from league leaders Winchester missing out on a deserved victory by two points a missed conversion in the final play the difference in an enthralling, entertaining match of high quality level six rugby.

Winchester arrived at Penns Pace top of the league table having lost to Second placed Bournemouth the week before and with most neutral supporters expecting them to win comfortably having lost just this one match in eleven this season.

Petersfield, fresh from a postponed away fixture the previous week, were straining at the leash, were wanting to right the wrongs of their early season fixture against their visitors when Petersfield contrived to lose a 17-5 lead without further score at Winchesters North Walls ground.

From the start Petersfield were in the visitor’s half and advancing in their twenty two and with less than seven minutes played number eight Liam Perkins broke through the defence, his support on his left shoulder he off loaded and play moved the left touch where a Petersfield penalty and a contested lineout had Petersfield form a scrappy maul for Dan Sargent to crash over the line to claim the first score of the match a try for Petersfield which Matt McLean converted for seven point 7-0

An early clatter of heads had starting full back Joe Knowels replaced by 18 year old Mackenzie Van Luan and he gave an excellent home debut performance.

Almost from the restart Petersfield, in possession of the ball, aggressively moved into Winchesters half and once within reach of the visitors twenty two opened up their back line. Passing the ball to Miles Sampson who used his pace, strength and agility to fend off tackles and cross the line in the corner for an unconverted try 12-0

After a period of stalemate where both teams were unable to make significant progress, it was Winchester who through some good work from their pack released their backs for the ball to be passed from left to right for an unconverted try in the right corner 12-5

Miles Sampson added to his match tally by scoring Petersfield third unconverted try in the right corner 17-5 for half time to be signalled.

The knowledgeable, good humoured, support from both teams reflected in the half time break that this match was Deja vu all over again! The first half very similar to the teams’ meeting in Winchester earlier in the season and the home support hoped that Petersfield would not implode as they had in the second half at Winchester.

Winchester opened the second half by scoring their own unconverted try taking the score to 17-10 in this closely contested game. They followed this, when awarded a penalty on Petersfield’s ten metre line by teeing up a successful kick at goal adding three points to their score 17-13

Did this pragmatic approach to points scoring indicate a slight circumspection by Winchester not wanting to expose themselves to set play near the corners of the park was the view of the support from both camps.

Winchester scored next from a lineout ball on one touch through their fast and evasive backs to score near the opposite touch a converted try 17-20

With five minutes of the match to play a further Petersfield penalty presented Winchester with another kickable position which they took cleanly advancing their score to twenty three 17-23.

From the restart Petersfield secured the ball a drove at the visitors’ defence, battering away through the pack and attempting to run round through their back line. Several of these attacks were repelled by Winchester though a couple of knock-ons and penalties for not releasing enabled Petersfield to keep the pressure on the defenders.

Petersfield forwards took control from thirty metres out, picking and driving, rucking and mauling not losing possession or giving the referee reason to penalise. Having been driven back to the Winchester twenty two the pack bulldozed their way towards the try line. Liam Perkins picked up the ball and ran round the short side, shrugged off three potential tacklers and stumbled towards the five metre line in front of the posts to find Franco Tomic on the charge on his right shoulder. He off loaded for Tomic to stretch his two metre hight plus outstretched arms over the line under the post.

With the score 22-23 it just needed a conversion for Petersfield to win, claim a significant scalp and add four and a bonus point to their fairly meagre season total. Regrettably for Petersfield the conversion was unsuccessful leaving them with the moral victory of losing to the league leaders by the smallest margin posted this season.

Squad: Jackson Clark, Will Norton, Dan Sargent, Franko Tomic, Zac Conley, Jack Janaway, Karter Whittock, Liam Perkins, Dan Chinnock, Tom Blewitt, Charlie Muir, Miles Sampson, Matt McLean, Eddie Matthews, Joe Knowles, Sam Brown, Alex Robinson,. Mackenzie Van Luan