Petersfield Triumph Over Guildford in a Spirited Contest

Guildford Rugby Club

Petersfield Triumph Over Guildford in a Spirited Contest

Guildford 12 – 31 Petersfield

Team: 1 Matt Poole 2 Jacob Jones 3 Paddy Wood, 4 George Angel, 5 Alex Burrill, 6 Jordan Brodley, 7 Tom Devereaux, 8 Joe Garner 9 Charlie Cuervo, 10 Joe Gwyther, 11 Ieuan Jones, 12 Rob Voller (c), 13 Charlie Cutting, 14 Solomon Poole, 15 Liam Driscoll

Replacements: 16 Jon Karimian, 17 Jamie Curtis, 18 Lochy Ellis-Jones

Scorers: Tries: Garner, S Poole

Cons: I Jones (1)

Pens:

Guildford's search for a second win of the season continued in vain on Saturday, as they fell 31–12 at home to Petersfield. Despite a spirited second-half fightback, Guildford ultimately struggled against a cohesive and dominant visiting side.

The hosts made several changes to their line-up following last week’s defeat to North Dorset. Jacob Jones returned to hooker, with Jordan Brodley shifting to blindside flanker in place of Ben Bushell. In the backline, Charlie Cutting made his first appearance of the season, stepping in at outside centre for the injured Alex Jordan, while Solomon Poole replaced Barney King on the right wing. King was unavailable as he continues his return-to-play protocol following a head injury.

The match began in a fashion all too familiar to Guildford’s season thus far: two well-matched teams cancelling each other out, with most of the action confined to the space between the 22-metre lines. Neither defence was overly tested, and opportunities were scarce. However, Petersfield’s superior scrum became evident early on, putting Guildford under consistent pressure. Joe Garner worked tirelessly to retrieve the ball from a retreating pack and turn it into valuable metres, sparing the hosts from an even more difficult start.

With the match seemingly heading for a scoreless first half, Petersfield struck twice in quick succession in the final ten minutes before the interval. Their clinical finishing sent Guildford into the break trailing 12–0.

The home side responded brilliantly at the start of the second half. Garner powered over from close range following a sustained spell of pressure, and Ieuan Jones added the conversion. Moments later, Poole, (Solomon, not Matt!) demonstrated his pace and skill, beating his opposite number deep inside his own half and sprinting away to score a spectacular unconverted try in the corner. With the scores level at 12–12, Guildford looked to have turned the tide.

However, as the game wore on, fatigue and injuries disrupted Guildford’s momentum. Liam Driscoll, Rob Voller, and Charlie Cutting were all forced off through injury, leaving the backline short of cohesion. Petersfield took full advantage, exploiting a defensive lapse to score an unconverted try, edging ahead 17–12.

The visitors added two more late tries, one of which was converted, to seal a 31–12 victory. Guildford’s inability to convert periods of sustained pressure into points proved costly, while Petersfield’s dominance in the scrum and efficiency in taking their chances proved decisive.

The defeat leaves Guildford facing a challenging path ahead. With key players sidelined - Driscoll and Tommy Devereaux are set to miss several weeks - and a growing injury list, the team will hope the upcoming rest week provides some much-needed recovery time. Voller and Cutting could yet return for the crucial November 30th fixture away to Chichester.

With the season’s halfway mark approaching, Guildford must quickly turn narrow early-season losses into victories if they are to salvage anything from the season. We are all hoping for a reversal of fortunes as the squad regroups for the second half of the campaign.

Mike Burden

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