PETERSFIELD expected a tough contest at Penns Place on Saturday. They had already put Cranleigh to the sword in the Intermediate Cup and it came as no surprise that the league fixture should contain a series of ambushes for the home players.

Cranleigh strove to spoil their opponents' running game, but the Penns Place side came through with a hard-earned win to consolidate their fourth place in London 4SW.

The first half was an error-strewn affair, with the ferocity of the exchanges leading to several injuries.

Petersfield led at the break, courtesy of a well-taken Scott Chesney try that cancelled out an earlier Cranleigh penalty.

However, having got themselves back in the driving seat, Petersfield were struck by the loss of scrum-half James Martin with a bad knee injury.

His brother, Ben, moved up to the numer 9 position and Neil Arnold came on at fly-half.

Arnold's long kick to the corner five minutes after the restart put Petersfield on the attack and when the pack drove over following Graeme Aggar's catch at a lineout, George Rees claimed the second try.

Forced back to their own 22, Petersfield then showed excellent handling skills as Holden put skipper Derek Eldridge into space. The inspirational fullback sidestepped the opposition and showed a clean pair of heels as he ran in a superb try from 70 metres.

Cranleigh's response was to become even more physical and it seemed only a matter of time before flash-point was reached. It was Petersfield who cracked, Rees being dismissed for throwing a punch in retaliation.

The visitors took advantage to score an unconverted try and set up a desperately close finish. But Petersfield held their own line and despite the increased pressure, held on gallantly to win by a seven-point margin.

Petersfield will need their strongest team for the difficult journey to Tottonians, the undefeated leaders, this week. Skipper Eldridge and coach O'Shea will doubtless raise the team and all Penns Place hopes for a creditable result.