Pethy yet again travelled away with the bare minimum of players required due to injuries and players missing the bus. Simon Gingell and Harley Brown were both delayed by a car crash, so the kick off was put back to 3:15 giving Pethy time to organise their team. When the game did get going they spent the first 15 minutes without the ball and defending their line against a number of good forward drives by the Crewkerne pack. During this period Crewkerne had several penalties awarded to them and were unlucky not to take an early lead when their first penalty attempt rebounded off the post. They did not have to wait much longer though, as continued pressure on the Petherton defence soon gave them an easier penalty chance in front of the posts that was converted.

From the restart Pethy got their act together and got their hands on the ball, and kept possession for most of the remaining half. The forwards managed to put a few phases together, and combined with getting their driving mauls going, produced some quick ball for the backs, who soon had an over lap, but after the ball was moved along the line it was dropped and the try went begging. However, the play was brought back for a penalty in front of the posts, which Tom Williams kicked to bring the scores level.

Soon after the restart Pethy again made their way into the Crewkerne 22 and a number of forward drives spearheaded as usual by the powerful Mike Coles got Petherton within striking distance. As the ball spilt loose from a tackle it had looked as if the Pethy forwards and taken the ball on once too often, but flanker Simon Gingell scooped up the loose ball and after breaking through the first tackle was able to power his way over the line taking a couple of Crewkerne players with him. Tom Williams easily converted to give Pethy a 10-3 lead.

The game then developed into a scrappy encounter with both sides making mistakes and having to battle hard to get hold of the ball. Eventually some good passing out of the tackle by several Petherton players saw them work their way quickly into a good position inside the Crewkerne 22. The forwards set up the ball for the backs with a good drive and it was spread wide missing out the big men in the middle to full-back Tom Williams who drew his man and threw an excellent long pass out to wing Gavin Wolfe who ran in un-opposed. Tom Williams then made another good conversion to give Petherton a comfortable 17-3 half-time lead.

At the half time break Pethy were disappointed with the way they were playing and frustrated in how the home team were managing at nearly every breakdown to disrupt the ball or massively slow it down. However, Pethy again started the second half as poorly as they did the first, defending and giving away yet more penalties as the Crewkerne forwards battered their way towards the Petherton try-line. After 5 minutes of constant short range drives, Crewkerne eventually found their way over. The conversion was missed but Crewkerne were back in the game.

Pethy were then able to briefly raise their game again and got control of the ball and started to move up the pitch, although again the home team did everything they could to stop the ball getting out quickly from the breakdowns. As a result of the increasing number of penalties being conceded Crewkerne’s replacement eight was sent to the bin. Soon after that the forwards were producing some continuous quick ball for the backs, and after sending powerhouse’s Matt Brown and Chris Burge up the middle, who both made some good yards, the ball was spread wide to Tom Williams who showed good strength and pace to score from 10 meters out. He then missed the conversion, but Pethy were back in control at 22-8 in front.

That was about as good as it got for Pethy after that, who soon found themselves back under pressure on their own line, defending against some more good forward pressure by the Crewkerne pack, who this time managed to score again after shoving over a five meter scrum. They again failed with the conversion.

The rest of the game was something of a non-event, as Pethy did enough to keep Crewkerne at bay, who were beginning to sense an unlikely victory. Penalties were continually being conceded by both sides which frustrated both sets of players, and the match became more tempestuous as players from both teams allowed their tempers to get the better of them.

Pethy did go close on a few occasions but never managed to cross the line again, and all of the players were relieved at the final whistle that they gotten the win, but disappointed to finish the season with a poor performance after such a great team display the week before. A win is a win though, and this one meant that Petherton finished the season with an 11 match unbeaten run, their best run of form for some years, and saw that they will finish third in the league, their highest position since being promoted from Somerset One in 2002.

However, this performance again underlined Pethy’s struggles away from home where several times this season they have travelled below full strength due to injuries and un-available players and not performed to their capabilities. Having beaten Old Sulians at home and twice losing narrowly against Winscombe, there has not been a big difference in quality between Petherton and the promoted sides. The difference can be seen in their results on the road where Pethy have struggled to beat sides that have been soundly beaten by the top two. The coaches and the players will hope to put this right for next year, especially as key regulars Chris Burge (Marine Duty), Miles McNeillie and Ross Finlayson (Travelling) are all away for most of next season.

The club dinner is in two weeks time and the players have decided to continue some light training on Tuesday nights after the dinner before pre-season training begins later in the summer. The next event is the club’s 2nd annual Sevens Tournament on the 12th of May when last years cup winners the Templars are coming back to defend their title.

Tries: Gingell, Wolfe, T.Williams

Cons: T.Williams (2)

Pens: T.Williams

Drop Goals:

Team: 15. T.Williams, 14. B.Williams, 13. M.Brown, 12. C.Burge, 11. Wolfe, 10. L.Williams, 9. Jarvis, 1. Webber, 2. Glanville, 3. H.Brown, 4. M.Burge, 5. Coles, 6. Mantyk, 7. Gingell, 8. Lees