Pethy learn a hard lesson in defeat but the Seconds win comprehensively

Under pressure: Bristol Harlequins (in blue) started well and had Pethy on the back foot during the early stages of the match

North Petherton were overwhelmed in the first half of their match at Bristol Harlequins on Saturday afternoon to find themselves 27-nil down by the break. As always in Bristol it was a competitive and physical match, and Pethy were not helped when they lost both of their line-out specialists in the opening minutes. James Lees was forced to leave the pitch after taking a bad blow to the head in the first two minutes and was unable to return, whilst Simon Gingell spent most of the first 20 minutes off the field having a bad gash above his eye patched up.

Pethy were unable to cope with this disruption to their set-piece in the first half, and they failed to match the aggression of the home side, who exploited their significant size advantage to great effect by breaking the gain line repeatedly and releasing quick ball to their dangerous 15, who played a part in most of the Harlequins tries in the match. This was backed up by some highly accurate kicking by the Quins number 11, who slotted over a range of difficult conversion and penalty kicks.

That was as bad as it got for Pethy and they improved significantly after the break, showing good determination and spirit to haul themselves back into the game through tries by Harley Brown and Matt Foad. After 40 minutes the visitors looked like they were in for a big defeat, but with 10 minutes remaining they were only 13 points behind at 27-14 and sensing a great comeback. However, at the end Quins pulled away again by capitalising on some poor Pethy defending to score two further tries for a slightly flattering but deserved 39-14 victory. Read the match report here.

In other Somerset Premier results, Tor took over at the top and are now the only unbeaten side in the league after Burnham-On-Sea lost at Midsomer Norton. Pethy have dropped to fifth place in the table, and there are six teams below them who all have only 2 points less than Petherton. Old Sulians, Pethy's next league opponents, remain bottom of the table and are the only team without a league win. All of the weekend's results can be seen below.

Tribute Somerset Premier Results - Saturday 11th October 2008

Avon 41 - 12 Old Sulians
Bristol Harlequins 39 - 14 North Petherton
Chard 15 - 18 Tor
Midsomer Norton 38 - 20 Burnham on Sea
Stothert & Pitt 0 - 54 Chew Valley
Wells 6 - 10 Winscombe

In Somerset Three South, North Petherton Seconds achieved a second comprehensive win in a row when they overcame their counterparts from local rivals Burnham-On-Sea. With Castle Cary, Chard and Weston Thirds all beginning to pull away in the leage, this was an important win for the Seconds to ensure that they remain in promotion contention. With Larry Steward having relinquished the captaincy earlier in the week, the side was led by Mike Coles, who's strength in the set-piece alongside Larry was too much for the visitors to handle.

Winger Bradley Archer marked his first match of the season with a hat-trick of tries, whilst Larry Steward scored twice, the second of which coming from an audacious chip over the Burnham defence before he grounded the ball. Coles and Colt Jamie Adams added further tries, with the scoring rounded off by flanker Adie Harris, who drew probably the biggest cheer of the afternoon with a rare try. Read the match report here.

In other results, Castle Cary and Chard Thirds maintained their unbeaten starts, with Chard inflicting a first defeat of the season over leaders Weston Thirds. Weston remain top, level on points with Wiveliscombe Seconds, Castle Cary, Chard Thirds, and Morganians. Pethy are 2 points behined those sides in sixth place. All of the weekends resutls can be seen below.

Tribute Somerset 3 South Results - Saturday 11th October 2008

Chard III 6 - 3 Weston-s-Mare III
Minehead Barbarians III 22 - 20 Wellington III
North Petherton II 48 - 3 Burnham on S II
Tor III 7 - 54 Morganians
Wells III HWO Hornets III
Winscombe III 5 - 37 Castle Cary

Pethy's Third XV finally had their first match of the season at the weekend after their first two fixtures had been cancelled by the opposition. Captain Cameron Kirk was pleased with the outcome as 19 players turned up for the match at Morganians Seconds, which Pethy won comfortably 55-5. Read Cammy's match report here.

This coming Saturday Pethy's First Team take a break from the league programme with a first round Somerset Vase match on Sunday afternoon at home to Somerset 2 side Somerton. Kick-off is at 2:00pm. The Seconds face a second local derby in a week when they travel to their Wiveliscombe counterparts on Saturday afternoon. Kick-off is at 3:00pm.