PETERSFIELD Rugby Club travelled to Ellingham and Ringwood on Saturday knowing a win would put them at least 13 points clear at the top of the table.

Field were aware their training opportunities had been severely limited by the persistent wet weather since their previous match on February 22. This, allied with their not insignificant injury list and the fact Ellingham and Ringwood had played a week ago, added extra peril to what was seen as a banana-skin fixture.

When the sides last met, Field effectively had the game won by half time, but needed most of the second half to secure a try-bonus while their guests mounted a comeback.

While recent results may not have gone Ellingham and Ringwood’s way they have scored well at home, running Havant close and giving Alton pause for thought, and they squeaked a win against Millbrook who were 20 points above them in the league.

The historical record hinted strongly at a win for the hosts as the home side had been victorious in the past five meetings between the two clubs.

In the end, however, it was Petersfield who bucked the trend, running out seemingly comfortable 46-20 winners with a healthy 26-point lead over their hosts, adding a further try bonus to their tally to put them 14 points clear with three games remaining.

The comfortable scoreline did not accurately reflect the performances on the pitch and Ellingham and Ringwood were unfortunate to have gone down to such a heavy loss.