The 3rd XV’s match against Ryde’s 1st team was a tale of two halves; in the first Field took far too long to settle and Ryde took advantage with territory and possession. The visitor’s tactic of putting boot to ball paid off for them with just five minutes gone as a grubber and fly-hack turned Field’s defence and resulted in a converted try. The kicking game continued to have Field spinning like tops and fractured any semblance of an organised defence. By the end of the first quarter, Ryde were 14-points up and Field had yet to visit their guests 22.

When the home side did finally cross the 22-metre line their stay was short lived; a loose kick to touch wasted a penalty advantage and Ryde raced the resulting 22-yard dropout straight down field for another score. Two minutes later and Field were back in the Ryde 22, this time throwing a loose pass from a quickly tapped penalty that was intercepted and run from the defensive 5m line for yet another score.

Field were reeling and it appeared that a massive whitewash was on the cards but, at the end of the half there was a hint of what the home side could do as veteran stand-off and team captain, Derek Eldridge shimmied his way over for a consolation try. Perhaps buoyed by this reminder of what they could do, Field took to the second half in a positive frame of mind and provided a more solid opposition to their guests.

As a result, the remainder of the game was a much closer affair with a try each from Lee James and Alex Groves – who converted his own score to close the match out at 17-62.

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