After a blank week due to the Boston no-show, South were faced with a tough rematch against high-scoring Rutland, who had deservedly overcome them 3-1 at Stamford before Christmas. Despite retaining their central defensive core of Chris Graveling, Jim Thorpe and Matt Readman, South were decimated by multiple absences, including that of would-be Pirate of the Caribbean Chris Baker, for whom the promise of a tequila or seven on the beach in St Lucia just outweighed the lure of Coldham's Common on a grey Saturday afternoon.

South in fact started with some attacking brio as skipper Eliot Read snappily fed the returning Lukas Snetler, who seemed to have lost none of his dash or determination during his recent peregrinations. Snetler was just held up in the D, but South came back as Readman eased coolly out of defence and Alex Pooles released Snetler in the middle. The latter put in a great pass to Russell Johnson, who outpaced the defender to give himself what proved to be South’s best scoring opportunity. But Johnson’s hard lifted shot went just wide and Rutland almost immediately exploited space on the right, centring for a man two yards out to hit in unopposed, a modus operandi to which South seem to have been rather vulnerable in the last few weeks.

The visitors soon worked another overlap but Readman's tackle, followed by a long James Cobbe clearance that would have graced a crown green bowls match, averted immediate danger. After another Readman interception, Thorpe and Snetler moved the ball up sensibly, while Johnson worked hard in both defence and attack, sending Read clear and getting Thorpe upfield to the danger area, where the Rutland keeper, largely untested otherwise, was forced to kick out.

Whilst Rutland were adept at using both wings, it was again from the right that a telling cross came after twelve minutes. A failed clearance had the away forwards salivating and the ball was virtually walked in to make it 2-0 with the proverbial mountain looming. But South gained some heart when a short corner awarded after Graveling's brave reverse-stick stop was beaten out by Steve Parker, who then also saved the lifted follow-up. This signalled the first direct action for South's hard-worked keeper, who was involved on a (very) regular basis thereafter, soon sticking away a deflected shot after Snetler had diddled tantalisingly down the right wing.

South held their own well following these early reverses, with Richard Morgan tackling confidently at the rear, Thorpe impressing the judges with a couple of deft reverse interceptions and Read and Snetler continuing to work up something productive in midfield. But it was Rutland who had the most thrust and, despite Readman’s elastic efforts on either side, the South circle came increasingly under threat, with Parker showing having to remain on the qui vive to beat the forwards to the loose ball on more than one occasion. His and an another unseen stick contrived to block out a marauding forward after twenty-five minutes, while the keeper alone dealt commandingly with a fierce shot unleashed from just inside the D a minute later.

Rutland forced in their fifth penalty corner shortly afterwards but it was correctly ruled out, giving South the chance to head for the interval without further damage. That they did so was due in the main to Graveling, who repped it to the max in a series of heroic tackles (think bridge, think Horatio), but honourable mentions should also go to Readman for a sacrificial fall worthy of Swan Lake and to Thorpe for a one-time reverse pass that defied the laws of trigonometry. Snetler, Pooles and Read also stuck to their guns in a more aggressive capacity and Dom Nelson, too, was involved in some promising moves on his league debut. Parker saved another big shot after a central Rutland burst and South were eventually able to retreat and gain some breathing space.

Rutland began the second half with two short corners, both failing, and after Parker had narrowly beaten a visiting forward with a devastating sliding tackle that boomed the ball out beyond the twenty-five, Graveling and Readman persuaded the ball upfield to Pooles, whose good run unravelled just as he breached the circle. The ball again ran annoyingly loose as Johnson's extra pace set Pooles free but Rutland had fewer problems retaining possession, often getting a man on the overlap and repeatedly creating positions from which they could either pass or shoot. One such was cannily judged by Parker, who outfaced a firm direct strike with a left-footed save before Cobbe and Morgan, expertly shielding the ball, shepherded it to the sides. A strike from the top of the D pinged off the bar as Parker advanced to force the aerial route but South, unperturbed, then put together a fine move, originating with Thorpe and making its way to Tim Clapp via Pooles and Readman. Rutland soaked up the pressure, though, and on this occasion, as previously, allowed little meaningful progress to be made beyond the twenty-five.

After fifty minutes, Rutland's penalty corner routine, which was otherwise relatively unimaginative, finally bore fruit when a slip-and-centre move had the South defence trying to move in two different directions at once, allowing a spare man to flick in past an unsighted Parker. Parker then had to spreadeagle himself to try and divert a lone attacker, just buying enough time for the prescient Cobbe to race back and save the day, whilst immediately afterwards a pacy run round the left corner culminated in a flick from a narrow angle which Parker dismissively thumped into touch with his blocker. At this stage, Rutland were consistently hitting their forward targets as South committed themselves up front in an effort to turn the tide, and this eventually led to a four-on-one where Parker picked astutely and made a great first save before the remaining three-on-none engineered the inevitable outcome.

The ninth visiting short corner was blocked by Parker and cleared to touch by Graveling in the Approved Manner™ before Snetler, still chasing like a terrier, set off a fine move through Readman and Read. Cobbe skilfully cushioned an awkward aerial and Clapp, who ran hard throughout with limited service, nearly broke down the left after a nice build-up from Morgan and Snetler. Morgan then found Graveling, who set up Read in the right corner for a cross. The topped result was nearly jugworthy but amends were swiftly made as a crisp centred pass was neatly delivered to the spot, where it unluckily found the foot of Nelson, who had arrived at the perfect time.

Morgan then raced back to disarm a three-on-two, Cobbe made a last-ditch tackle and Read whacked out to Clapp, who relieved the pressure temporarily before Johnson brought off a nonchalant reverse interception. With three minutes to go, Rutland muscled through again, glancing the outside of a post before once more finding a free man at top D to tee up with time to spare. Parker was down quickly to make the save and then recovered adroitly to beat off the follow-up but Rutland benefited from a dubious-looking clash of sticks to make it a Hawaii. The visitors did not get close again but, even then, Parker had something to do as a back pass unexpectedly came his way. This was glided diagonally to safety before the final whistle, and with it the gloaming, came, perhaps none too soon.

Skipper Eliot Read was philosophical in defeat, feeling that South's weakened team had battled hard against superior opposition, who were well-organised to the extent that it often looked as though they were playing with twelve men. South could not be faulted for effort but overcoming the absence of so many players was always going to be a big ask, especially as virtually a whole forward line was missing. In losing, South relinquished fourth place in the table to their opponents but, with only three points separating third from eighth and Spalding in ninth closing the gap, the fat lady has probably still got another set of arias to warble through before the baton makes its final flourish.