Petersfield are 14 points clear at the top of Hampshire Counties One after winning 78-10 at Gosport & Fareham.

Petersfield played their most complete game of rugby this season, producing an outstanding display against a well-drilled and committed Gosport & Fareham side.

Try hat-tricks from George Davis and Matt McLean, a pair from Jackson Clark and a try each from Matt Momber, Dan Sargent, Will Mathews and Miles Sampson – with 18 points from the boot of Nick Blumlein – gave Petersfield another bonus-point win.

Gosport scored a penalty on four minutes having had the major share of possession from the kick off.

A Petersfield attacking penalty on halfway saw Blumlein kick for touch 15 metres out. A long throw in from Nic Wilde found Liam Perkins, who set up a rolling maul which progressed towards the try line.

Momber carried the ball, which was driven over the whitewash to open Field’s account. Blumlein added the conversion to make it 7-3.

From the restart Sargent challenged Gosport for the ball and secured it to pass to Davis, who from more than 30 metres out sprinted down the wing to score his first try. Blumlein converted from a tight angle to make it 14-3.

Gosport replied just three minutes later with a converted try to make it 14-10.

Petersfield then held their own ball at a scrum. The ball was gathered by Perkins, who headed for the try line and laid the ball back for prop Clark to pick it up and crash over for a converted try to make it 21-10.

At a lineout Perkins brought the ball down and passed to Momber, who made 30 metres before offloading to McLean to cover 20 metres to dot down for a converted try.

Field’s McLean was yellow carded for an overenthusiastic joining of a ruck four minutes before half-time. The hosts kicked for a penalty lineout but lost the ball to Franco Tomic. He taped to Alex Duffus, who passed to Blumlein. He launched a pass to the wing, where Davis galloped down the touchline to score an unconverted try and give Field a 33-10 lead at half-time.

At the start of the second half Perkins dismissed two tacklers and was brought down by a third ten metres out with Sargent on his shoulder. The off load to Sargent gave him a clear run to place the ball over the line for a converted try to make it 40-10.

Mathews was next to score close to the posts after the ball was won at a maul by the industrious Zac Jenkins.

Field were in complete control with more than 30 minutes left to play and McLean scored two converted tries in as many minutes to make it 61-10. Clark followed this with an unconverted try after he chased a kick forward and ran more than 15 metres to score.

Gosport rallied and made the last 20 minutes more competitive as Petersfield rang the changes from the bench.

Petersfield added to their score by breaking out of their 22. A series of short passes set Sam Dawes free, and he sprinted 35 metres before offloading in a tackle to Sampson for him to score an unconverted try in the corner.

Field then won a lineout ball and passed through five pairs of hands, including Karter Whittock, Sam Brown and Oli Hunt, for Davis to claim his third try of the match.

Chris Todd