G&F U13 Overcome Petersfield in Thrilling Cup Game

In a first half dominated for long spells by Petersfield, it was Gosport who took the first points with a classy individual try from centre, Stephen Cheatle. After applying early pressure with some solid forward play, Petersfield whipped the ball out wide to try and open up the stubborn Gosport defence. Had one more pass gone to hands, the story of the first half may well have been different but Cheatle latched on to a loose pass and ran it in 70 metres for a try under the posts. Matthew “Dids” Symington added the conversion and, against the run of play, Gosport were 7-0 up.
Petersfield then proceeded to make themselves at home in the Gosport half, flirting with the 22m and 5m lines on occasion but finding the try line frustratingly elusive. The visitors' pack ensured plenty of possession for their team at the set piece and at the breakdown but Gosport proved resilient and defended well as a unit. Despite the territorial advantage and some promising attacking moves, Petersfield just couldn't force an opening. Time and again, they were denied a way through, yielding possession more than once in contact as their forwards took the ball in but failed to use it or get it away quickly enough, thanks to some excellent mauling by Gosport. When the ball found its way out to the backs, the Gosport defence was up quickly to snuff out the danger.
It was Gosport's turn to exert some pressure after the break, with a long re-start deep into the Petersfield half. An excellent chase almost led to a charge-down and, before long, Gosport were on the attack, with a break from man-of-the-match Cheatle. Full-back Jake Ellard almost pulled off another interception, which may have resulted in Gosport's second try but did halt a promising Petersfield attack. Petersfield retained possession but the pressure from Gosport was unrelenting, backed up by some ferocious tackling.
No longer content to simply soak up waves of Petersfield attacks, Gosport were now creating opportunities of their own. One of the best moves of the game saw the Petersfield maul pushed back several metres into their own 22, with Gosport driving over the legally-formed ruck to turn the ball over. Petersfield managed to steal the ball back but were soon facing a defensive scrum on the 22, Connor Parkinson picked up the ball from the base of the scrum, spotted a gap in the visitors' defence and punched through. Gosport supported brilliantly and recycled through three or four quick phases to create a well-deserved try for Chris Wallis. The tricky touchline conversion was straight into a strong wind and Dids gave it a good boot but even an international kicker would have struggled to add the two points.
Success breeds success and, with their confidence up, Gosport wasted literally no time in building on their momentum. Cameron Holling took the re-start and launched an attacking move from inside his own half, a peach of an offload from Wallis kept the move alive and some slick passing and angles of running saw the ball make its way to Dids on the right wing. With the Petersfield defence split wide open, Dids ran down the wing, then cut inside to score near the posts and give himself an easier conversion attempt to make the score 19-0.
Although the result seemed assured, neither side was content to leave it there as Petersfield did their best to get back into the game and Gosport looked to put the result beyond all doubt. The Gosport defence held firm as it had all game and the home side were looking dangerous in attack. A blistering run from Jake Moseley had try number four written all over it but the final pass found a red shirt, rather than a blue and yellow one.
After a sustained period of pressure, Petersfield worked their way in to the Gosport 22 but were having to fight for every inch of territory. Just when it seemed that Gosport would do the unthinkable and keep yet another clean sheet, they were caught napping and Petersfield squeezed over in the corner from a quickly-taken penalty. A great team performance and a solid defensive effort may have deserved a clean sheet but Petersfield, to their credit, worked hard, didn't give up and did their bit to make this a thrilling game to watch, so surely even the most hard-hardest Gosport supporter couldn't deny that they deserved something for their efforts. As for Gosport, they competed well in every area, were solid in defence and dangerous in attack but, most of all, it was a great team performance. Bring on the next round!