Petroc men are top of the table

Petroc continue to build momentum and remain top of the Championship in men’s football after two more wins, the first at home to Bridgewater with a 1-0 win.

In a tense and tight first half with few chances, Petroc took the lead in the 35th minute when Liam Martin slotted home after great persistence from Fratton Tetley to win the ball back in the opposition box.

The second half opened up a little with both teams playing some excellent football and creating some chances. An extraordinary save, diving high to his right from Petroc ‘keeper George Evans towards the end of the game secured another win and continues the fantastic start Petroc have made to the season.

That was followed this week with a 2-1 win away at Strode, where, in an entertaining game that could have gone both ways, Petroc showed heart, resilience and talent to grab a victory against a good Strode team.

The first half contained chances at both ends with Petroc hitting the bar and being denied a clear-cut penalty, and it was Strode who took the lead into the half-time break with a great finish from their striker in the 30th minute.

Petroc started the second half on the front foot and their early dominance paid off through a well-worked equaliser with a ball played up to Fratton Tetley, who laid it back into Alex Symcox. He then played a sublime through pass into Ollie Fosberry's feet, who finished with aplomb.

After this, the game swung both ways with Strode always looking dangerous and the Petroc defence and goalkeeper George Evans in excellent form once again.

Just when the game looked like it was heading for a draw, Acea Allen-Sanders picked up the ball on the left in his own half, drove past two defenders and as he got fouled, he laid the ball through to Fratton, the ref played a great advantage and Fratton cut inside the defender and hit a power driver into the bottom left hand corner. Wow! 2-1 Petroc with a minute left.

There was still time for some drama with Tyler Curtis committing a foul in Petroc's half and after a reaction, one of Strode players was given a red card!

Petroc defended the resulting free kick and walked away with a hard fought 2-1 win to stay top on the table.

After a frustrating 38-48 loss to City College Plymouth in basketball, Petroc bounced back this week with a good 37-33 win against Bridgewater, which sees them go fourth in the table.

The Women's Volleyball team had an away fourth round cup match v King Edward College, Stourbridge. The opponents were very well drilled and, despite a really good effort, Petroc ended up going down two sets to nil. There were plenty of positives though, and coach Russell gave POTM to Daisy Raybone.

The Men's team also had a cup match, this time at home to Richard Huish, They competed well in a hard fought cup tie, which was a lot tighter than the final score indicates.  

For Petroc Men, this was their first competitive match together but the coordination and team-work was of a high standard from the start. Strong attacking play from Theo Plaza and accurate setting from Billy Taylor kept Petroc competitive throughout the match but Huish ahead in each set winning key battles. Final score: 25-11, 25-14 and 25-14

The Volleyball team now look forward to the Regional Championships, followed by a trip to Farnborough for a mixed cup match before Christmas.

Petroc Rugby travelled to Exeter for just their third game together. They were a little under-manned and Exeter dominated the first half but after the break the game was a lot more even and Petroc had some really good spells in the game. 

Unfortunately, Petroc did end up on the wrong side of another heavy defeat but there are definitely shoots of improvement and it won't be too long before they produce a positive result.