ELLINGHAM 19, PETERSFIELD 12

PETERSFIELD have followed four straight wins with two consecutive defeats and have dropped from top spot to mid-table in the closely-packed Hampshire 1 table.

A narrow defeat after the long trip to Ellingham & Ringwood was hard to bear, but there were some positives to take. The second-half performance was much better than the first and ’Field earned themselves a valuable bonus point.

The frustration was that they could have nicked the game in the final moments, only to be let down by poor execution.

The visitors had most of the early possession and territory, but the cutting-edge was missing. Ellingham turned the ball over at the breakdown and stormed upfield to give ’Field a taste of their own medicine. The reds dug deep, however, and secured the ball for stand-off Jay Bremner to relieve the pressure with a good kick.

Matt Painter’s long-range penalty dipped just short, but it was the New Forest side who opened up a decent lead. Full-back Dominic Pitt broke from his own 22 and cantered all the way through to score in the corner.

Scrum-half Josh Butcher landed a difficult conversion and then kicked two penalties from distance to send his side into half-time with a 13-0 advantage. ’Field did well to hold them to that lead after having a man sin-binned for a late tackle.

Within a minute of the restart, Petersfield yielded another penalty on halfway and Butcher again showed that distance was no barrier; 16-0.

Restored to 15, Petersfield fought back with an unstoppable rolling maul from a lineout that crossed the whitewash on the right. The extras went begging, but the visitors were back in the game and after more sustained pressure, it was Ellingham’s turn to lose a man to the bin.

Five minutes into the final quarter, Bremner essayed a powerful run from inside his own 22, pushing deep into the opposing half before offloading to Jack Glancy in close support and finally Toby Sydenham crashed over near the posts, making the conversion a formality. Ellingham’s lead was now just four points.

Petersfield still flirted with danger, conceding yet another penalty on halfway. This one fell just short, but a minute later, ’Field were penalised and sin-binned for another high tackle. Butcher nailed the kick from a long way out and Petersfield now required a converted try to win the game.

They camped in the home 22 for the remaining time, but again failed to take their chances. The final throw of the dice, a penalty lineout five metres out, was lost and Ellingham cleared their lines to end the game.

Isle of Wight side Ventnor visit Anstey Park this Saturday. Coach James Alder has to to juggle his resources carefully after losing more players to injury in the Ellingham match.