The atmosphere at Penns Place remains palpable, coming off of Petersfield Women’s commanding win against Littlehampton 3 weeks prior. As both the Alton and Petersfield sides warm up, the pre-match chatter around the clubhouse questions which side will leave with the win, battling between the loyal ‘Field fans and the travelling Alton fans, also confident after their recent win against Basingstoke.

As the referee blew the whistle to mark the start of the first half, Petersfield threw themselves into play with shouts of encouragement from friends and family on the sidelines. Although ‘Field’s defensive line looked a little unsettled to begin with and took a couple of worrying knocks early on, the side’s strength in communication allowed them to push hard against a polished Alton side, who protected the ball brilliantly in their possession and showed pinpoint passing prowess.

Despite the Rams' best efforts, Alton’s early attacking edge allowed them to slip past Petersfield’s defensive line and score the first points of the match. Unfortunately for them, though, the conversion narrowly skimmed the post, leaving the score at 0-5 to the Red Belles. But the competition had only just begun.

Petersfield kept their heads high and spirits even higher, using the scoreline to fuel their collective fire. This newfound confidence resulted very quickly in some brilliant expansive play and fast passing, boldly using the full width of the pitch to allow full-back Kam Carty to speed past several Alton defenders and leap for Petersfield’s first points and her debut try! The home side’s number 13, Tegan Kinch, then stepped up to the tee to take the conversion and confidently slotted the ball between the posts to add another 2 points, bringing the score to 7-5.

The battle between the two sides continued to showcase both teams' grit and desire for the win, with another Alton try slipping through the ‘Field defence, despite some hard-hitting tackles by Petersfield captain Leanne Wallis and number 4, Lara Hinson, in an attempt to mark their territory. However, Petersfield wasted no time with a speedy response by the backs, feeding the ball seamlessly into space near the spectator’s edge, allowing winger Holly Mullard to storm her way through three Alton players to send Petersfield into half-time leading 12-10.

Despite the threat of grey clouds overhead, the weather stayed dry for the start of the second half as the teams eagerly waited for the ref’s whistle. Although Alton tried boldly to overpower at the breakdowns, Petersfield’s tight teamwork and creative passing gave them a powerful edge, scoring 3 tries within minutes of each other, dominating the start of the second half. The first try was scored by the conversion queen, Tegan Kinch, and the next two by hat-trickster, Holly Mullard. Kinch assuredly converted two of the three kicks off the tee to send ‘Field into a massive 31-10 lead.

The excellence of the ‘Field side was evident by this point, although the sheer physicality of the past fifteen minutes was impossible to ignore, with some players visibly limping or struggling to catch their breath. The resilient Alton women saw this opportunity for a comeback and took it, managing to steal back three more tries of their own, and converting two to send the score to a nail-biting 31-29.

Despite this switch in possession, Petersfield backs Daniella Nicholls and Lucy Shaw-Hill held their own and pulled off a sensational double-tackle to deny the threatening Red Belles, met by supportive roars from the stands. Suddenly, the electric connection of the home side came back to life, enabling number 9 Mia Ellis to feed the ball to fly-half Hannah Wright, who then beautifully offloaded to outside centre Tegan Kinch, who carved herself into space to break away and secure the final try of the game. Kinch’s golden boot then guaranteed the win with an unwavering conversion to send the final score to 38-29, with Petersfield Women going two for two early in this new team’s campaign.

Head Coach Cam Thomas called in his team for a huddle and a victory speech after the final whistle, hammering home his pride and passion for their performance, saying:

“What a hard-fought victory against a challenging side. Don’t stop believing in yourselves, ladies, I’m beyond proud of all your efforts”.

After nominating Charli Humm and Becky Steer as forwards of the match, and Kam Carty and Holly Mullard as the best backs, Captain Leanne Wallis stepped up to express her admiration of the whole team, saying:

“There were some superb plays today and week after week we’re getting stronger - our teamwork, communication, and confidence are really starting to shine through, and I couldn’t be prouder of all the ladies today”.

Match Stats:

1st half →
Alton (try) - 0-5
Han (assist), Kam (try), Tegan (conversion): 7-5
Alton (try): 7-10
Lucy (assist), Holly (try): 12-10

2nd half →
Lucy (assist), Tegan (try): 17-10
Han (assist), Holly (try), Tegan (conversion): 24-10
Han (assist), Holly (try), Tegan (conversion): 31-10
Alton (try, conversion): 31-17
Alton (try): 31-22
Alton (try, conversion): 31-29
Han (assist), Tegan (try, conversion): 38-29

Tries →
Carty, Mullard (3), Kinch (2)

Assists →
Shaw-Hill (2), Han (4)

Conversions →
Kinch (4)

Petersfield Debut Caps:
Naia Boyes
Chenai O’Reilly
Jas Warren
Kam Carty
Tegan Kinch
Cara Lewis
Katie Phillips
Lucy-Shaw-Hill

The Rams now have their sights set on their away game against Salisbury Spitfires on Sunday 16th November at 1pm. Keep your eyes peeled on our social channels for further information ahead of this exciting match.