Ellingham & Ringwood 33 Petersfield 15: THE WEATHER played a large part in Petersfield Rugby Club’s weekend.

At the start of the week, the club had made the decision to cancel all fixtures at Penns Place due to the sodden ground and the forecast for even more rain.

The hosts for the three senior away fixtures, however, appeared more confident than Field that they could get their fixtures played but, unfortunately, their confidence was misplaced. The second team’s match at Locks Heath was called off on Friday night, and then the third team’s game at Chineham was cancelled at the very last minute on Saturday.

Surprisingly, given the swathe of other cancellations across the various senior leagues, the first team’s fixture at Ellingham and Ringwood went ahead as planned. The visitors perhaps wished that it hadn’t as the host went on to secure revenge for their defeat to Field at the start of the season.

Continuing the theme of previous matches, Field once again travelled with a scratch squad comprising on this occasion of first team regulars and a hefty batch of second team players – all of whom acquitted themselves admirably on the day.

With their losing streak continuing, Field face an uphill struggle to avoid relegation at the end of the season. However, it is clear from the performances that the ability exists within the team to do just that if they can string together a few fixtures with an unchanged squad.

A feature of most of Field’s games this season – and seen again on Saturday – has been the reliability of the pack. Rarely have the boys in the engine room been dominated by their opposite numbers in the set piece and since their early-season tendency towards naivety at the breakdown was cured they have looked the full package. Fortunately for Field, the forwards are strong throughout the seniors, with the second and third team packs showing the same ability and allowing an almost seamless interchange of players between the teams. It was the pack who scored Field’s points against Ellingham with the irrepressible Hooper taking a brace of tries and Kemp adding the third.

With the plethora of cancellations so far in January, the league table may yet throw up some changes to benefit Field; however, to be assured of safety Field must strive to pick up more points, even if only losing bonus points.

The next fixture for the first team is a return to Penns Place against third-placed Fareham Heathens on Saturday. With Fareham scoring freely against the lower ranked teams, this will be a tough ask for Field.