Chipstead 74 – 5 Farnham
Farnham’s stay in Surrey 1 came to an end with a whimper at third-placed Chipstead on Saturday with Farnham being outplayed for most of the match, with the exception of the first five minutes and last five minutes.
Farnham started well and had good early possession and pressure. However, Farnham were unable to maintain their level of performance and Chipstead soon asserted themselves in this relatively one sided encounter.
The hosts used the hill well, as you would expect with them being at home, and Farnham, too often found themselves outnumbered in defence leading to simple try scoring opportunities for the hosts.
Chipstead were rampant in what Farnham had hoped would be a win to finish the season and get set for a season in Surrey 2 and Farnham had no real reply to their hosts power, pace and organisation.
In the second half the players were as ked for more commitment and determination in what would be the last forty minutes of rugby to be played until September and for parts of the second half Farnham were better. But Farnham were incapable of getting themselves back into this match and lacked any real possession throughout the afternoon.
However, Farnham were able to finish the season on a fairly pleasant note with top try scorer, Toby Comley finishing off a period of phases where Farnham had retained possession, giving Farnham the final score in what was a difficult match and, indeed, season.
Farnham have struggled this season but will be looking forward to a confident and exciting challenge in Surrey 2 next season where they will be hoping to compete for the title and immediate promotion back into Surrey 1. There are some excellent young players in and around the 1st XV at the moment and, with pre-season starting on 1st June 2010, there is going to be plenty of time to work on putting things right and creating some much needed cohesion.
Farnham are always looking for new players to join our ranks, regardless of age or ability, and if you are interested please contact the head coach, Barry Warner on 07769 652391 or the club captain, Karl Brown on 07795 490922.
Old Freemens 45 – 3 Farnham
This away match against Old Freemens unfortunately provided an eighty minute summary of Farnham’s season to date.
The start:
Farnham were set to receive the kick off and knocked the ball on, allowing Old Freemens a scrum on the Farnham twenty two, from which Old Freemens recycled the ball well through several phases, with Farnham on the back foot, before Old Freemens scored under the posts.
Four minutes gone, 7-0 to the home team.
Much like earlier in the season Farnham huffed and puffed without much success or direction and seemed to try to frustrate the home side rather than want to beat them. This, as earlier in the season, was shown to be ineffective at this level and Farnham found themselves several scores down before the half time break, with only a penalty to show for their efforts.
The middle:
Farnham regrouped at half time and came out playing better rugby at the start of the second half, with a little more ambition and structure surrounding their play. Unfortunately, it was always going to be too little too late and despite the best efforts of Francis Meagher, Chas Penn and Chris Penn Farnham soon found themselves behind the posts having conceded another try, albeit from a knock on which travelled ten feet forward.
The end:
Farnham played some good rugby in the final period of the game with some excellent recycling of the ball and good off-loading, approaching the style of rugby they had set out to play from the start of both the season and the match.
In parallel with the season it could be said that had Farnham started the game the way they finished it they could have come away with a result and would, most certainly, have been competitive.
With Farnham’s relegation having been confirmed last weekend, thoughts have obviously turned to next season to a certain extent; it is very clear that if Farnham are to come back up to Surrey 1 at the first attempt they will need to be fitter, stronger and more committed to both training and playing.
Farnham have one more fixture in Surrey 1 this season – away at Chipstead on 10th April. It is a great chance to lay down a marker for next season and for the players to go away for the off season on a positive note, so a reaction to Saturday’s performance will be looked for and expected.
Farnham 12 – 15 Old Walcountians
Farnham went into their last home game of the season knowing that a win at home to Old Walcountians would keep them in the hunt to remain in Surrey 1 come the end of the season.
Farnham were committed throughout this encounter and played with great heart and no little intelligence and but for a couple of small errors which were punished by the visitors, Farnham would have deservedly won this match.
Farnham started brightly on the very muddy pitch, playing into the wind and the rain and it only took five minutes for the home team to go into the lead with a well worked move on the left hand side, the ball ending up in the hands of number eight Steven Clark who burst through two would-be tacklers before dotting down. Chris Penn struck the conversion in very slippery conditions to give Farnham a 7-0 lead.
For much of the remainder of the first half the ball was kept in and around the middle of the pitch, with both sides having to defend well for periods as the conditions made it difficult for either team to move the ball out wide with any great success.
This was the case until the Old Walcountians forwards put in some good work on the Farnham right and the ball was spread left for the away side to score in the corner, the conversion was missed and the score was 7-5 to the home team.
This is how the score remained until half time when the message was that Farnham would have the conditions behind them and should use the wind to keep the visitors pinned back in their areas of the pitch.
Unfortunately, Farnham started the second half sluggishly (by comparison to the first half) and struggled to get out of their own half of the pitch. The scrum and lineout seemed to stop working for a while and this allowed Old Walcountians to capitalise and score again out on the right wing, once again the conversion was missed.
Farnham then regained the lead with around twenty minutes left to play after some great driving from the forwards, who seemed to have been kick-started into action by the visitors’ try, and a great drive from Steve Simmons allowing him to go over from close range. Unfortunately, the conversion was missed in what were still very tricky conditions, Farnham led 12-10.
Farnham soon found themselves back in their on twenty two and Old Walcountians scored their third try to take a 12-15 lead.
This is how the score remained until the final whistle despite Farnham spending the last five minutes camped on the Old Walcountians five metre line and the visitors conceding penalty after penalty, which Farnham did not kick as they knew that they needed to win.
The Farnham players put in a hugely spirited performance and it was one that they can be proud of and it is unfortunate that on the day, some of the decisions did not go Farnham’s way/
Unfortunately, with the two teams above Farnham winning on Saturday it now means that Farnham must win their last two games while amassing a points difference in excess of 250 in the process in order to stand any chance of staying up this season. However, if the squad can stay together and perform for a whole season the way they have since Christmas, they should enjoy playing in Surrey 2 and come back to Surrey 1 a much stronger and more experienced outfit.
Old Whitgiftians 29 – 20 Farnham
Saturday saw Farnham make to trip to Croydon to play second-placed Old Whitgiftians in a match which, last season, yielded a fifty plus point victory for the home side.
Farnham were determined to continue their improving league form and the very late arrival of four players having been taking a tour of Croydon did not help Farnham’s preparation.
Farnham started with the slope and with the elements behind them, but were sloppy and conceded too many penalties throughout the entire first forty minutes.
It was after only about fifteen minutes that Farnham found themselves a score down after some poor tackling allowed Old Whitgiftians to score a converted try – 7-0 to the home team.
Farnham then benefitted from some luck for the first time in what seemed like months as the adaptable Toby Comley scored a try from an interception under the posts, while playing out of position in the centres rather than in his usual back row slot. The score was 7-7.
Farnham then played some good rugby for a sustained period and were unlucky to see one penalty attempt hit the upright from out on the left and another drift just wide.
Old Whitgiftians then re-established their lead after some poor defence from Farnham’s forwards allowed Whitgiftians to cross for another converted try – 14-7 to the home side.
This was how the scores remained at half time with Farnham knowing that they would need to change their style of play when coming up the hill and into the wind, along with a huge improvement in discipline, if they were to win this match.
Farnham started the second half on the back foot and allowed Old Whitgiftians too much space into which to run and Old Whitgiftians managed the first score of the half, which went unconverted – 19-7 to the home side.
The teams then traded penalties to bring the score to 22-10, before Chas Penn scored a superb solo breakaway try after a fumble in the Old Whitgiftians backline. The try was converted, giving Farnham renewed hope that they could snap up the win – 22-17.
Unfortunately Farnham could only muster a penalty in response to Old Whitgiftians converted try and went on to lose 29-20.
The performance was one of which Farnham should be proud against the team second in the league, but they will still need to improve their discipline and work rate if they are to have a chance of remaining in Surrey 1, especially with a couple of the other results going against them on Saturday.
Farnham 20 – 10 Bec Old Boys
As has become customary this season, Farnham turned up at Wrecclesham on Saturday knowing that they needed to win this encounter in order to keep alive their hopes of remaining in Surrey 1.
Bec Old Boys had been struggling with their form of late, although in the reverse fixture earlier in the season they had beaten Farnham 53-0, so Farnham knew it would be a tough day at the office.
Due to the conditions on the usual first team pitch Farnham switched to one of the smaller slopey pitches and were determined that this would not have an impact on the game that they have been trying to play.
Farnham started very brightly, putting pressure on Bec Old Boys throughout the opening exchanges. It was clear that the Farnham forward pack had the upper hand in the set piece and Farnham were determined to press the advantage home.
After some well controlled possession and a well won line out in the right hand corner, Farnham were able to attack Bec Old Boys line with pace and it was from here that Farnham’s first try came about, with Chris Penn releasing the prolific Toby Comley to stroll over and dot the ball down.
Chris Penn, playing at fly half on Saturday made the conversion and the score was 7-0 to the home team.
The first half continued in much the same fashion with Farnham never looking like conceding points, until they conceded a sting of three or four needless penalties, allowing Bec Old Boys to force their way up the pitch until they had a penalty on the Farnham five metre line, which was superbly defended by the home team.
At half time the score remained 7-0 to the home side and the message was that more effort was needed around the pitch in order to close out this win. A fair bit was also said about the ill discipline, costing Farnham too many penalties.
The second half began and Farnham started where they had left off, adding a sweetly struck penalty by Chris Penn to the scoreline, 10-0 to the home side.
This seemed to spur Bec Old Boys on to play their best rugby of the match, which happened to coincide with Farnham going off the boil for five minutes and Bec scored a simple try under the posts, which was converted – 10-7.
Having let Bec Old Boys get back into the game Farnham were determined not to allow them any more opportunities, so it was a big blow when Fran Meagher found himself in the sin bin for 10 minutes shortly afterwards.
It is, however, a sign of how for this team have come over the last few months that while Farnham were down to fourteen, they worked harder than they had been and did not concede a single point.
Once Farnham were back up to their full compliment, the forwards used their superior ability in the mauls to drive Bec Old Boys to within a couple of metres of their try line, from where Steve Simmons finished off a fantastic try – scoring his first for the club in the process.
Chris Penn struck a remarkable conversion from the touchline to make the score17-7 to the home side.
Both teams then traded penalties to bring the final score to 20-10 to the home team.
Steve Simmons was Farnham’s man of the match, with Chris Penn not far behind. The most pleasing aspect about this victory was that Farnham showed great composure and did not panic when they were not scoring points. If they can take this level of performance and composure through to the end of the season, things will be looking up.
Next week sees Farnham away at Cranleigh in the Surrey Shield.
London Exiles 12 – 0 Farnham
Farnham faced a significantly different team away at London Exiles to that which they had faced at home, but were still confident that they could keep their good run of performances and results going. With it being half term week some of Farnham’s recent regulars were on holiday so the team had six changes in the starting fifteen from last week’s home game against Croydon.
Unfortunately this meeting between the two sides was a very dour affair with Farnham seemingly losing any sense of structure within the first ten minutes of the game and London Exiles setting into their pattern of football style whinging within the first ten seconds.
For much of the first half the game was played out in the central third of the pitch with both sides having several half chances, before a well-worked London Exiles move saw them outflank Farnham on the left to score an unconverted try.
This was the only noteworthy point from the first half other than a scuffle which broke out when a London Exiles player ran twenty yards to punch a Farnham player. For a period the match descended into farce with the home team’s spectators and substitutes entering the field of play. Play then resumed and the scrappy half continued.
At half time Farnham were rightly disappointed with their performance but knew that if they could regain their structure they could turn the narrow deficit around.
Unfortunately the second half was just as scrappy as the first half and the London Exiles try came courtesy of some very poor Farnham defending around a ruck in the Farnham twenty two, allowing the London Exiles to run through a huge gap and score under the posts. The try was converted and Farnham found themselves 12-0 down with twenty minutes to play.
Unfortunately, as much as Farnham huffed and puffed they could find no way through the London Exiles defence, mainly due to lack of support at the breakdown area.
The game ended 12-0 to the home team and Farnham know that they have a very steep hill to climb if they are to remain in Surrey 1 come the end of this season.
Saturday was very disappointing for Farnham, because not only was this a game that Farnham were hoping to win, but the performance was poor, for the first time since just before Christmas Farnham seemed to have taken a backward step.
There is plenty of hard work to be done in the run up to the next fixture at home to Bec Old Boys on Saturday and the team know that more will be expected of them in the clash which sees Farnham take on the side who are third from bottom.
Farnham 15 v 18 Croydon
Farnham will be kicking themselves after this fixture, rearranged due to the early January snow, did not yield the maximum 2 league points and enable Farnham to move off the bottom of Surrey 1 for the first time this season.
Farnham will view this as a day of missed opportunities and must use the experience of this barrow defeat to become more patient and, indeed, ruthless.
Farnham started very brightly and took control of the game from the start with what was probably the best rugby played by the home side all season.
Farnham attacked well in the early set pieces and the forwards were dominating. It was this pressure that told when Farnham put Croydon under huge pressure at their own lineout and Toby Comley was able to dive over in the corner.
On a very muddy surface and with the kick almost on the touchline, it was no surprise when the conversion was missed – the score 5-0 to Farnham.
Farnham then continued to press the visitors and further pressure led to a kickable penalty, which was converted by Chris Penn, playing at inside centre on Saturday.
With the score at 8-0 to the home side, the inevitable Croydon fight back began and Farnham conceded a soft try from the base of an attacking Croydon scrum. The try went unconverted and the half time score was 8-5 to the home side.
At half time the message was that there was plenty more that Farnham could achieve and that they needed to work a bit harder in the second half to make sure of the win.
Unfortunately, Farnham, even though bottom of the table, seem to have an incomprehensible penchant for complacency and seemingly believing that everything will turn out fine – sometimes without the need to work for the result.
Farnham conceded an early penalty which enabled Croydon to draw level, before Farnham’s usually well disciplined defence let them down after a period of Croydon pressure, allowing Croydon’s fly half to cross virtually unopposed for a converted try.
The score now 8-15 to the visitors.
This try seemed to spur Farnham back into action and some fantastic handling on the right by Richard Lloyd and Greg Friggens put Greg away for a fifty metre dash to the line, unfortunately, he was caught just before the line and the ball was knocked on by Farnham in the ensuing melee.
The Farnham coach, Barry Warner, then made a couple of changes including the introduction of Alex Carlsson at scrum half for his first action since breaking his ankle in a pre-season friendly game against Cranleigh. Alex went on to snipe an excellent try through a ruck, which was converted to bring the scores level at 15-15.
Unfortunately Farnham conceded a kickable penalty almost immediately and this was converted leaving the score at 15-18 with approximately fifteen minutes to go.
Unfortunately Farnham were unable to find a way through and were left to rue handling errors in the first half and a lack of ruthlessness and patience after a performance which was encouraging, but could have given so much more.
Farnham 22 – 9 Battersea Ironsides
On a pitch that, in places, resembled an ice rink, Farnham were determined not to slip up in this battle between the two bottom sides in Surrey 1. Farnham knew that they needed to win in order to try to get back in touch with the sides above them and they duly did so, with one of their best performances of the season.
When these sides met in Earlsfield earlier in the season, Farnham started sluggishly and were on the back foot from the off, on Saturday, Farnham were on the front foot and never took their foot off the gas.
The Farnham players knew that a win was the expectation and that nothing less would suffice and they started tremendously, with good strong carrying from the forwards and some excellent handling from the backs in difficult conditions.
Farnham kept the ball well (which cannot have been said for many games this season) and exerted a great deal of pressure on their visitors. The pressure finally told after about twenty minutes when Farnham won their own lineout deep in Battersea Ironsides territory, recycled the ball well through a strong carry by skipper Graeme Black before the ball went through the hands to James Corlett who scored under the posts. Chris Penn duly converted and the score was 7-0 to Farnham.
Farnham then let their game slip a little and allowed Battersea Ironsides back into the game with some needless penalties, two of which were converted, two of which were missed, giving a half time score of 7-6 to the home side.
At half time the message to the players was to get stuck into the visitors again and to have a little more patience in possession.
Farnham seemed to be rejuvenated by the change of ends and proceeded to play the best half of rugby seen at Wrecclesham this season (by Farnham!), in which they scored 15 points compared to the visitors’ 3 points.
Farnham seemed to rediscover their early form and heaped the pressure on Battersea Ironsides who then started to fall foul of the referee and Farnham used the possession and territory well.
Farnham’s second try came from another lineout deep in Battersea Ironsides territory and was a similar move the that which brought the first try, however, on this occasion the energetic Fran Meagher was on hand to drive through the Battersea Ironsides pack to score a fine try. The try was again converted by Chris Penn and the score was 14-6.
Farnham then worked through the phases with some excellent retention of possession and strong running by the forwards and continued to put Battersea Ironsides under increasing pressure. Farnham were playing so well that it was only a matter of time until the next opportunity presented itself and it came in the way of a sweetly struck penalty by Chris Penn, giving Farnham a lead of 17-6.
There followed a briefly scrappy period in which Farnham conceded a penalty which Battersea Ironsides gladly converted to close the gap to 8 points.
On other Saturdays this season it is at precisely this time that Farnham would have become nervous and may even have gone into their shells, while trying to protect their lead. On this occasion, however, Farnham took this as a wake up call and put in more effort and were rewarded with another try. This one resulted from an outrageous flick behind himself from Toby Comley to James Corlett who was running a great line and he crashed over the Battersea Ironsides line for his second try of the afternoon.
Unfortunately this try went unconverted, leaving the score 22-9.
Farnham continued in a desperate search for more points, but, the game came to an end before they were able to find the line again.
All in all this was a very satisfying performance by Farnham, but it is just a start. There are still seven games left this season and plenty of time to secure their safety in Surrey 1, but in order to do so the commitment of the playing staff will need to remain as impressive as it has been over the last couple of months.
Farnham host Croydon next Saturday in another ‘must-win’ encounter at 14.30, after which there will be a night of fun and mischief as the club hosts a senior Hawaiian night – all welcome.
Teddington 86 – 8 Farnham
Farnham were looking forward to testing themselves against the top side in the league on Saturday and were determined to show an improvement from when the sides last met.
Farnham started off defending against some promising early attacks by the home side, which were stifled by Farnham’s encouraging defence and organisation.
The same pattern followed for much of the fist half with Teddington attacking and Farnham being forced to defend. However, the ball that Farnham did manage to secure was looked after better in this encounter than in the last.
Teddington scored four tries in the first half to Farnham’s try and penalty, leading to a half time score of 28-8 to the home side. Farnham’s try coming from a well stolen line out and a good jinking run by Richard Lloyd before Andrew Cranstone completed the move, scoring the try.
At half time Farnham felt as though they had made an impression on their hosts and they had competed well, although it was also felt that Farnham had more to offer in the second half.
The match continued in the same vein for the first ten minutes of the second half before Farnham’s lack of match fitness (having not played a competitive fixture since 12th December 2009) started to show, along with Teddington’s superior ability.
It was from this point that Teddington ran in six tries without Farnham touching the ball and it was this that signalled the end of any effective resistance by Farnham.
It was about five minutes from the end of the match that a Teddington player suffered what looked to be a nasty injury to his lower leg and we all wish him a speedy recovery.
Farnham will need to be fitter and sharper for the arrival of Battersea Ironsides on Saturday and must look to improve in all areas, so there will be a lot of hard work going on in training this week to ensure that Farnham are ready for the upcoming fixtures.
Farnham 25-16 Old Freemens
Farnham secured their first league win of the season in an enthralling encounter with Old Freemens at Wrecclesham on Saturday afternoon.
The talk before the game had been about how this was the final opportunity to secure a home win until the New Year and the players were keen to make it happen.
The game started with Farnham, having lost the toss, playing with the wind behind them and the sun in their eyes and a muddy pitch underfoot.
The first few minutes were frantic and played with little structure, with both teams seemingly struggling to gain a foothold and secure any momentum.
It was, however, Farnham who struck first with a well worked try from blindside flanker Fran Meagher, nudging the home side into an early 5-0 advantage. The try was duly converted by the returning Stuart Moore. Some of the lead was soon cancelled out when Farnham’s indiscipline cost them again and Old Freemens were awarded a penalty of their own, which was duly converted, to make the score 7-3.
Farnham worked tirelessly to secure field position and were awarded a penalty deep in the Old Freemens territory which was taken quickly by Toby Comley, who, with plenty of vision, set up Chris Penn for a try in the corner. The try was unconverted and the score was 12-3 to the home side.
Old Freemens came back into the game again after further Farnham indiscipline at the breakdown gifted them another penalty, the score 12-6 and it was a tense affair throughout. Fran Meagher was then given 10 minutes in the sin bin for failing to retreat from a quickly taken penalty and it is of great credit to the Farnham side that they did not take a backward step and did not allow Old Freemens back into the game.
At half time there was talk of working harder and of knowing that there were potentially 40 minutes separating Farnham from their first league win of the season.
However, as is becoming increasingly concerning for Farnham, they went into their shells for the first 15 minutes of the half and kicked too much possession straight to Old Freemens.
This period of poor play allowed Old Freemens back into the game with a converted try, to take the lead 12-13 and there were memories of last season when Farnham had beaten Old Freemens by one point on each occasion they had met. Farnham did not start to play again straight away and gave away another penalty which was converted to leave the score 12-16.
This seemed to be the fillip that the team needed, and they went on to secure the ball for long periods and the next score went to Farnham after a speculative kick through by Chris Penn, which eluded the visitor’s defence allowing Toby Comley to touch down, the conversion was missed by Chris Penn, with Stuart Moore having had to leave the pitch with concussion. The score now 17-16.
Farnham were then awarded a penalty which Chris Penn converted, before Toby Comley and James Corlett linked superbly up the left with for the final try and the game, Toby Comley scoring his second of the match.
Farnham were then left to defend manfully for the final ten minutes or so and again found themselves a man down due to further indiscretions at the break down.
All in all this was a vital win for Farnham and brings them to within one point of Battersea Ironsides who are directly above them in the league. The players and coaches are under no illusions as to what is required over the Christmas period and in terms of continued improvements to ensure survival in what is, again, a very competitive Surrey 1 league.
Old Walcountians 23 – 13 Farnham
This was to prove to be a match which was both encouraging and frustrating for a Farnham side who are definitely on an upward curve heading into the Christmas period.
As has been the norm over recent weeks Farnham started brightly enough and were then forced to defend for a period, which they did admirably. It was after about 15 minutes that Farnham gave away a kickable penalty which grazed the inside of the left upright as it passed through – 3-0 to the home side.
Again, as has become the norm, Farnham reacted to the score and were awarded a penalty a very short time later, which was sweetly struck into the wind by Chris Penn making his debut at fly half.
There then followed a fairly disjointed period of play with both sides falling foul of the referee and making basic errors, until Farnham gave away another penalty which was converted, to make the score 6-3 to the home side.
It was only a minute later that the Old Walcountians’ centre managed to intercept a pass in the Farnham 22 and run in unopposed for a converted try. The score now 13-3 to the home side.
Farnham went into the break knowing that they would have the slight slope and the wind with them for the second period and Farnham spoke about playing the game in the Old Walcountians’ 22 and playing in behind them. There was no doubt that should Farnham be able to cut out the penalties, they could win this game.
Unfortunately, Farnham started the second half sluggishly and conceded an early try after some good handling in the backs by Old Walcountians, coupled with some not such good Farnham defending. The try went unconverted, so the score was 18-3.
Again, Farnham dug deep and managed to set about trying to play some rugby in their opponents half of the pitch. Farnham drove the ball up into the Old Walcountians half and rucked well before Toby Comley (open side flanker) rounded off the move in the corner.
This was the first try Farnham have scored in the league this season and the most pleasing thing about it was that it was a proper, well-worked, team try. The conversion was missed and the score was – 18-8.
Unfortunately and uncharacteristically, Farnham seemed to switch off for a period and allowed Old Walcountians to regain some initiative through a soft try conceded from the back of a scrum, the score now 23-8.
Again, Farnham came back and after several minutes of concerted pressure scored their second try through Burton on the left wing. It was a great finish by him, but again, it was a team try, the forwards creating the space through some good carrying to finally release the speedy backs.
The conversion was missed, the final score 23-13.
Farnham are disappointed that they did not get more out of this match, but are very clear about the improvements they are making week on week. There is more continuity in the team at the moment, with fewer injuries and shopping trips being suffered.
There is one final opportunity for a league win before Christmas and this comes this Saturday at Wrecclesham with a home fixture against an improving Old Freemens side. Kick off is at 14.15 for all who would like to come down and watch.
Farnham 3 – 3 Old Whitgiftians
It was on a perfect afternoon for playing rugby that Farnham managed to secure their first league point of the season at home to second in the table Old Whitgiftians.
In last season’s meetings Old Whitgiftians had beaten Farnham healthily home and away but Farnham, with a slightly more settled side, knew that if they could maintain their discipline and introduce some ferocity and aggression that there would be points on offer.
The match was not as scrappy an affair as the scoreline might suggest, although there was a fairly familiar patter to the game with Whitgiftians having much of the possession and Farnham defending for much of the opening exchanges.
The difference on Saturday was that Farnham were defending with structure and organisation and they kept Old Whitgiftians at bay. Farnham’s discipline, while still not great at the break down area was much better and penalties were conceded in Old Whitgiftians territory, rather than in Farnham’s half of the pitch.
Farnham managed to exert plenty of pressure on the Old Whitgiftians set piece throughout the game and this helped to keep the visitors at bay.
Not for the first time this season, Farnham took the lead with a penalty. It was a well struck kick by Stuart Moore, giving Farnham the lead about half way through the first half.
Unfortunately, despite defending superbly Farnham did give away a kickable penalty, which was converted by Old Whitgiftians’ fly half, shortly after each side had had a player sent to the sin bin for a little bit of ‘off the ball’ handbags.
The first half came to a conclusion with Farnham having missed another tricky penalty attempt and the sides level at 3-3.
At half time it was clear that this was a match that Farnham had a great chance of winning and the feeling was that if Farnham could just apply a little more pressure to the visitors then the chances would come.
Farnham started the second half impressively and full of running and seemingly no small measure of confidence. The confidence was well placed as they drew first blood, being awarded a penalty quite a long way out, but within range for Stuart Moore. Unfortunately the kick was to drift agonisingly wide of the right upright to leave the score at 3-3.
Farnham defended manfully and showed good enterprise for the remainder of the game but no further chances were to come their way. Perhaps, what was even more encouraging, however, was the way that Farnham defended their line for the last ten minutes without giving away a single penalty and showing great character.
At the end of the day Farnham felt that this was a game that they could have won, but, will be delighted to secure a point in the league. Farnham are now able to begin to see the results of the hard work being put in by the players and coaching staff and will seek to build on Saturday’s performance.
Special mention must be made of Andrew Cranstone and Stuart Moore who were both outstanding for Farnham and also mention needs to be made of the whole squad of eighteen men – everyone was excellent throughout.
Cranleigh 2s 0 – 31 Farnham As
Farnham turned up for this fixture with 15 players and were surprised to learn that kick off was not at 12.30 as they had been told, but was to be at 13.15. Unfortunately, this proved to be awkward for some of the Farnham players who had been expected home early for family commitments.
However, Farnham started brightly and scored their first try within the first five minutes, through the evergreen Stuart Rimmer.
The lack of a regular place kicker meant that the conversion was missed and there followed a fairly scrappy period of play with both sides making plenty of mistakes. Farnham did, however, manage to ‘out flank’ Cranleigh and got the ball wide to Francis Meagher on the wing who cut inside to look for support, before running through the Cranleigh full back for a great team try. This time the conversion was secured.
The final try of the half came from centre James Corlett steaming through and crossing the line in a well worked move, this try was also converted, leaving the score at half time at 0-19.
At half time, Farnham spoke about the fact that there was no real structure to their play and it was demanded that they score four tries in the second half, to exceed their first half total.
Unfortunately the four try total was not to be met, however, the half, while being scrappy, led to two great tries. The first, about twenty minutes into the half came from a penalty, where the ball was passed to Graeme Black, who dummied and sidestepped his way through the Cranleigh defence before flopping over the line and the second came from a great exchange of handling up the right touch line before Toby Comley crossed to score.
The second of these tries was converted, making the final score 0-31.
This was far from a flawless performance from Farnham and there is still much to work on, but all in all it was a fun fixture and it was good to have a game for those who wanted one.
Bec Old Boys 53 – 0 Farnham
This was, worryingly, Farnham’s worst defensive performance of the season to date. This is worrying because Farnham’s defence has been relatively stable and has been improving week after week.
On Saturday, Farnham found that they had more possession, for large periods, than they had had for much of the season, and yet, were not able to convert this possession and territory into points.
Farnham started well, playing down the hill and into the wind and began by exerting some good pressure through a couple of well won lineouts and a good rolling mall, well talked through by the evergreen Karl Brown.
It seems, for the first fifteen minutes or so that Farnham were about to turn the corner this season. However, it was Farnham’s indiscipline around the ruck area that again let them down and a lack of physicality by the forwards in the same area of the game allowed Bec Old Boys to work their way steadily up the hill, with the wind behind them.
Bec Old Boys managed to outflank the Farnham defence with ease and scored a well worked try, to give them the lead. This was converted and followed up with another converted try and gave the home side a 14-0 half time lead.
At half time, Farnham felt that they had offered enough and were capable of using the conditions to be able to get themselves into a position to win the match.
Again, the first fifteen minutes or so were positive and Farnham spent long spells of the second half in Bec Old Boys territory, but, disappointingly, Farnham were unable to out their hosts under any real pressure for a sustained period and Bec scored further unanswered tries and conversions throughout the second half. Most disappointing of all was the final try scored by Bec Old Boys’ full back who ran thirty yards across the pitch, before straightening and running a further 50 yards to score the final try of the game.
Farnham know that there is much work to be done and it is incumbent upon the players to train frequently and to make themselves available for selection, so far there has not been any consistency in selection due to injuries and unavailabilities and this will need to change if Farnham are to get off the foot of the table.
Farnham 0 – 21 London Exiles
In contrast to what has gone before in some matches this season, it can most certainly be argued that the scoreline in this fixture does not reflect the state of the play.
Farnham started the match strongly playing into the sun and the wind and for the first fifteen minutes or so the forwards imposed themselves, the back looked slick and the defence, when needed, was excellent. As time wore on there was a sense, on the pitch, that could Farnham just grab a score for all of their early dominance, this would be the elusive first victory Farnham had been looking for.
Unfortunately, the first score went to London Exiles and came from a Farnham scrum – the only time the forwards lost their own ball in the scrummage all day, and the Exiles 9 was able to finish from seven or eight yards out.
Farnham knew that they were unlucky to go behind after their early dominance and were determined to make amends and the forwards again began to work their way up the pitch and got into positions to put Exiles under pressure. The pressure began to tell and Farnham benefited from some Exiles indiscipline at the breakdown to continue moving towards the danger zone.
Farnham were unlucky to see Stuart Rimmer sin-binned for stamping when it appeared to one of the most innocuous pieces of ‘footwork’ seen all day and they lost field position and found themselves under pressure for the next ten minutes.
During this ten minute period Exiles scored a further eight points (a try and a penalty), making the score 0-15 to the visitors at half time.
At half time the discussion centred around the positive things that Farnham were doing – the forwards were dominant in the scrums and had got a few rolling mauls working well, the backs looked dangerous when they got the ball and, apart from a couple of concentration lapses, the defence had held firm. Farnham still believed that this was a game to be won.
The second half was less structured and consequently more disjointed, with Farnham applying pressure for periods, only to relieve the pressure with needlessly given penalties, two of which were converted by Exiles, to make the final score 0-21 to the visitors.
Based on Saturday’s performance, this was a winnable match and a match that this Farnham team should have expected to win, but ill-discipline cost Farnham dearly, along with another seven changes from last week’s starting fifteen. There is a need for players to train twice a week where possible and make themselves available for the majority of Saturdays, if this happens then Farnham can be confident of garnering the results they will need to pull themselves clear of the foot of the table.
Farnborough 13 v 6 Farnham
Farnham’s dream of surpassing last year’s cup run came to a halt at Farnborough on Saturday in a clash between two sides, both of whom were lacking confidence after poor starts to the season.
Farnham took the lead in this encounter with a sweetly struck penalty by Andy James. At that point it was looking as though Farnham would be relatively comfortable and may even be able to grind out a result.
As the match went on, however, Farnborough appeared to be the team hungrier for the victory and they forced themselves into the reckoning as the first half went on. Farnborough managed to score a try after some increased pressure and Farnham indiscipline led to the referee awarding Farnborough a further ten yards from a penalty.
The try was converted and Farnborough managed to score with another penalty attempt shortly before half time, with the score at the break 10-3 to the home side.
The message at half time was that Farnham’s forwards really needed to start to exert some pressure on their opposite numbers, particularly at the breakdown area where Farnborough persistently killed the ball and went off their feet.
The half started better than the first half had for the away team and Farnham began to make inroads into the Farnborough half, but also suffered several injuries in this period, with all four replacements needing to be called into action.
Farnborough managed to extend their lead after some further perceived Farnham indiscipline at the breakdown area, to make the score 13-3.
This seemed to spur Farnham into action and they worked hard to get up the pitch and into the Farnborough half where the home team gave away a penalty, which was neatly converted by Andy James again to leave the score at 13-6.
Farnham then upped the ante again and for the final twenty minutes of the match Farnborough had to defend stoutly and for much of the time inside their own 22 as Farnham put the home team under increasing pressure.
Farnham had were awarded a string of penalties within the Farnborough five metre area and Farnborough had a player sin binned, but Farnham could still not make the pressure tell.
In the end, Farnham lost out in a tight encounter, which, in truthfulness, could have gone either way. Farnham will, and do, count themselves unlucky to have lost.
Farnham, once again, suffered several injuries and at least two of the starting team will be out for a minimum of two weeks, which leads to the continuing unsettled nature of the team.
Farnham must be more aggressive in these matches and must learn to play the referee better, Farnborough managed this aspect much more successfully than Farnham. There is much to work on before next week’s visit of London Exiles to Wrecclesham.
Any players who are looking to join a fun local club are more than welcome at the club on Tuesday nights, from 19.00 and at Queen’s Avenue in Aldershot on Thursday evenings, also from 19.00.
Battersea Ironsides 44 v 3 Farnham
Farnham’s poor start to their league campaign continued this week with a heavy defeat away at the only other team in the league not to have scored a point until the weekend.
Farnham got to Battersea early after the debacle last year of getting stuck in traffic and arriving later than they would have liked. Farnham seemed to be ready for this must-win bottom of the table clash, but once the whistle went, it seemed as though the game plan and structure that had been worked on disappeared out of the window.
Farnham started poorly, by failing to take the ball cleanly from the Battersea Ironsides kick off and this led to a period of intense pressure being applied by the home team. Farnham did well to keep Battersea out for the first ten minutes or so with some resolute defending and some profligate handling from the home side.
Battersea did take the lead after a penalty was given against Farnham for using their hands in a ruck.
Farnham, from the restart, managed to apply some pressure to the home team and a decent five minute spell gave Farnham some hope that they would be able to get a decent platform in the game from which to go on to win.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be as the home side ran in two tries before half time, leaving the score 15-0 at half time.
At half time, the talk was that Farnham were still well and truly in the game and that there was plenty of time to go on and win this game, if they began to use their heads a bit more, worked a bit harder in attack and be more aggressive.
Farnham started the second half brightly and worked their way up the pitch and managed to convert a penalty to make the score 15-3.
Unfortunately thereafter Farnham found themselves starved of possession and ideas and struggled to get back into the game, with the lineout struggling, the scrum creaking and the back line sadly bereft of any quality ball.
Battersea underlined their superiority in the second half by running in a further five tries, with the final score 44-3 to the home side.
The plus points were the performances of Richard Lloyd, playing his second match for the 1st team after a long spell out injured and Sipan Shahnazari who was making his full debut.
The players and coaching staff know that there is much to be worked on in the coming weeks, not least of which will be trying to implement a structure to the game, some aggression and a lot more cohesion.
Farnham are away to Farnborough in the next round of the cup next weekend, before returning to league action on 7th of November at home to London Exiles.
Farnham 0 – 53 Teddington
Farnham’s poor start to the season continued on Saturday when they took on the early league leaders at Wrecclesham.
Farnham started fairly brightly with some early possession and some work through the phases in the early exchanges, before giving away a penalty at the ruck area – an area that both teams were going to find difficult to understand the referee’s interpretation throughout the day.
Farnham then saw full back Lee Manson sent to the sin bin for an early tackle on a Teddington attacker, which the referee felt would otherwise have been a try for the away team.
Teddington made the superior numbers count when Farnham lost the ball on their own lineout and they scored in the corner. The conversion was well struck and the visitors had a 0-7 lead.
Shortly afterwards, Farnham, who were under heavy pressure, gave away a kickable penalty which was converted to make the score 0-10.
Farnham continued to battle gamefully and were starting to show some of the aggression which had been lacking in the earlier matches, before some good hands led to an opening for Teddington again and a run of almost the length of the pitch led to another try, which was converted – the score was now 0-17.
Farnham were unlucky to lose fly half Jason Stones, who was playing his first game for the first team for over a season after a back injury, this time with a hamstring injury.
The final points of the half were scored by Teddington when they won another Farnham lineout and their second row followed up his own kick and chase to score.
The half time score was 0-22 to the visitors.
The message to the players at half time was simple – Farnham were due to a couple of missed tackles and some excellent Teddington play, but there was no reason for Farnham to go out and give a really good account of themselves in the second half. There was nothing to fear, as long as Farnham made their first up tackles and didn’t give Teddington’s backs too much space in which to operate.
Farnham started the second half much better and were very competitive for the first twenty or twenty five minutes of the half. Farnham started to play with some structure, albeit not a huge amount of fluency and came back into the game in terms of possession and territory.
Unfortunately, Teddington’s superior class shone through in the end they scored another 5 tries before the final whistle went.
Farnham have improved in recent weeks and will continue to do so, as long as the players continue to buy into what the coaching team are trying to do and continue to train.
There were more positives this week and plenty more that Farnham can work on before facing Battersea Ironsides away next week in a bottom of the table clash.
Croydon 31 – 0 Farnham
Farnham made the lengthy journey up to Croydon, safe in the knowledge that a win would really get their season kick started and that it would herald the arrival of new head coach Barry Warner in style.
Unfortunately it was not to be as Farnham suffered their second heavy league defeat in a row.
Farnham will argue, rightly so, that the scoreline flatters Croydon who were well organised, but were lucky to be awarded at two of their tries after a quick penalty never left the hand and, on another occasion, the ball was dropped over the try line.
Farnham started the match well, playing with the conditions and imposing themselves well in the early exchanges. Neither side was prepared to give an inch and this led to an entertaining, if flustered, set of opening exchanges.
Farnham were given the first opportunity for points when Croydon conceded a penalty just outside their own 22, unfortunately the kick drifted just wide and the score remained 0-0.
Encouragingly, Farnham have improved their discipline over the last two weeks and did not give away as many penalties in the first half, but still gave away too many. However, it was from a needlessly conceded penalty that Croydon scored their first try, with Farnham failing to get back and allowing the penalty taker to run unopposed to the try line.
The second Croydon score came shortly afterwards after a clearing kick from Farnham found a Croydon back, who, with some strong running, was able to set up a good position from where Croydon scored again.
Both tries were converted, the half time score was 14-0 to the home side.
The message at half time to the Farnham players was simple – there was noting to fear in the Croydon team, Farnham had suffered from two lapses of concentration and if they could cut out the errors, there was no doubt that the game was there for the taking.
Unfortunately the second half was strewn with more errors, from Farnham and the referee.
Farnham failed, in the second half, to close down the Croydon attackers and gave them too much space into which they were able to run damaging lines.
The referee missed a knock on from a Croydon hand in the lineout which led to try, but in which the ball was not grounded over the line. The referee seemed to be somewhat harsh in sending a Croydon player to the sin bin, for what may have been one of the most innocuous penalties of the day.
Suffice to say that although Farnham were still competitive for large parts of the half, Croydon scored three tries, one of which was converted – making the final score 31-0.
All in all, it was a disappointing result, but the performance was an improvement on the previous two.
Farnham can take some positives from this performance and know that they have a lot to work on in training this week. In particular, Farnham will need to look at their transition from defence into attack and their communication. Farnham will need to start to become more aggressive and ‘gnarly’ if they are to impose themselves on some of the opposition in this league.
Farnham 13 v 10 Midhurst
Saturday saw Farnham open their EDF Energy Junior Vase campaign, looking for their first competitive win of the season, in their second match of the season.
Midhurst, who play in the Sussex leagues, travelled to Wrecclesham on the back of four wins in their last four matches – three of which were in their league and one of which was in the preliminary round of the cup.
Farnham knew that they would be in for a stern test, with confidence low after a disappointing couple of weeks ‘at the office’ and were determined to start well, with plenty of aggression and physicality.
With this approach in mind Farnham opted to play into the elements in the first half, hoping to make full use of the howling wind in the second period. Unfortunately, Farnham did not appear to be at the races for the first ten minutes and conceded several penalties due to infringements at the break down area. The string of penalties conceded was, unfortunately, to set the tone for a day on which Farnham did not demonstrate their best discipline as a team.
Several of the early penalties were in front of the posts and the Midhurst place kicker missed a couple of the early chances and the other penalties were used to put Farnham under pressure in their own twenty two.
Farnham withstood the early pressure well and the defence, on which so much work has been done, held firm and Farnham were able to clear their lines and ease the pressure of the early onslaught. Farnham were helped in their endeavours by the Midhurst flanker who was ruled to have illegally tackled the Farnham fly half and was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes.
It was only about half way through the first half and Farnham were coming to grips with their enthusiastic opponents when the experienced Karl Brown had to be taken off with a rib and neck injury, which looks as though it may keep him out for a while. This brought the young and exciting talent of Toby Comley onto the pitch for Farnham after a couple of weeks out with a hamstring problem.
Farnham did not allow the injury to disrupt their play and they were beginning to show some superior skills and were starting to build some really good phases, particularly through the backs who must have been delighted to see some ball this week.
James Corlett was particularly strong with his running though the midfield and he was ably assisted by some excellent hands, both inside and outside him. Indeed, it was a trademark break by James Corlett which led to the Farnham try, when he was superbly supported by Toby Comley, who was able to cross unopposed under the posts.
The try was converted by Simon Lewis and Farnham found themselves 7-0 ahead.
The game then returned to the previous disjointed, disordered and ill-disciplined affair it had been prior to Farnham scoring and it was from a clearing kick that Midhurst chased well that they scored their try, just before half time. There was a lack of communication at the back from Farnham in trying to deal with the bouncing ball, which allowed Midhurst to steal in and score a converted try.
The score at half time was 7-7 and the message to the Farnham players was simple – there was plenty of ability and nouse in the Farnham team to come away as comfortable winners, but they needed to stop panicking and conceding so many penalties.
The second half began and for moments it appeared as though Farnham had regained some of their better form and they were putting their visitors under pressure, so much so that a kickable penalty was awarded to Farnham, which was converted by the ever-green Nigel Rooney. The score 10-7 to Farnham.
Unfortunately, Farnham then seemed to relapse into the scrappy unintelligent way of playing to which they had become accustomed in large parts of the first half and the game ebbed and flowed for long periods before Farnham conceded yet another needless penalty, this time in front of their own posts – this was converted by the Midhurst captain and hooker who had taken over the kicking duties. The score was now 10-10, with about 10 minutes to go.
Farnham knew that it was now time to up the ante if they were to avoid defeat and or extra time. Two Simon Lewis attempted drop goals crept just wide and finally Farnham won a penalty within range for Nigel Rooney, who stepped up and delivered the three points.
There were under five minutes remaining at this point and Farnham held out to secure the win and their progression into the next round of the cup.
Farnham know that there is much to work on, but must be delighted at having won their first competitive game of the season, hopefully, there are many more to come.
Farnham 3 – 21 Chipstead
Farnham were well and truly fired up for the first game of the league season against a Chipstead team who had finished just above them in the league last season.
The match started as it was destined to go on with Farnham receiving the kick off and being under pressure straight away. Chipstead are a big and physical team and they used their size well in the early stages to keep Farnham under pressure in their own half.
Farnham, however, are much more resilient these days and managed to slowly work their way up the pitch towards the Chipstead line through a series of scrums and lineouts. Farnham then found themselves camped in the Chipstead twenty two for some minutes before being awarded a kickable penalty which Simon Lewis converted to put the home side up 3-0.
The rest of the half saw Farnham coming under increasing pressure from the visitors but they continued to defend resolutely and there was no way through for Chipstead. It must be said that there were several occasions where Chipstead had broken through and looked certain to score but their handling let them down.
Farnham went into half time with the 3-0 lead and the message was that there was nothing to fear in the opposition. The talk was that Farnham had defended superbly for the best part of 40 minutes and that with a little more composure when in possession of the ball Farnham would be able to go on and win the game.
The second half started with Farnham on the front foot and applying pressure to Chipstead in their half, before Chipstead conceded another penalty, which, unfortunately, went unconverted.
For the rest of the match the ball was in the Farnham half with only clearances managing to take Farnham out of their own half. It was on about sixty minutes that the pressure finally told when the Chipstead backs completed a move in the corner that resulted in a try, which was converted. The score 3-7.
Farnham were determined to get back into the game and managed to exert some pressure on Chipstead up field before Farnham missed a tackle allowing Chipstead another score, this time under the posts. The score 3-14.
It was with the last play of the game that Chipstead scored their final try, from a forward pass, with Farnham having run out of steam after having defended for so much of the game – the final score 3-21 to the visitors.
All in all, the scoreline does not reflect the closeness of the match and there were many positives to take from the game, to include; the debut of four players (Mark, Lee, Tom and Ollie), the depth of character and determination shown by this young side in defending for such long periods, the return of the captain after 10 months out with a knee injury and the support of the under 11s (and their parents) who played an exhibition match before the main event.
It is clear that there is much to work on in the coming weeks and Farnham are aware of what we need to do, so with the coaching team and players we will move on from this defeat.
We now look forward to the start of a new EDF Energy Junior Vase campaign on Saturday at home to Midhurst from the Sussex leagues. This is a national cup and Farnham progressed well through the rounds last year and will be looking to do the same again this year.
Farnham 7 - 17 Camberley
It was with keen anticipation, after a good pre-season, that Farnham kicked off their first pre-season friendly match against local rivals Camberley.
With the teams in different leagues (Camberley being one level higher) the teams were at different stages of their pre-season with Camberley building up to their first league game next week, while Farnham have to wait until 26th September to commence the league campaign at home against Chipstead.
The game kicked off with Farnham under strict instructions to take the game to Camberley and to make them work for every inch of field position. The instructions were carried out to the letter with some aspects of the performance functioning superbly; the lineout was particularly pleasing to watch in the early stages. Farnham, while on the defensive for much of the first half and without much possession defended stoutly and, indeed, often won the ball by way of turnovers at the various rucks and mauls.
Farnham were well and truly in the game, when, coming up towards half time, Camberley seemed to lose concentration and Richard Phillips (number 8) was able to break from the back of the scrum and stroll the 5 metres to the line without any opposition. Simon ‘Sticky’ Lewis added the extras and Farnham went into half time with a 7-0 lead.
The message at half time was simple – Farnham needed to me more clinical and also needed to see the first half as a start, but not enough. There was a need to increase the intensity and the physicality, if Farnham were to remain in the lead and, eventually go on to win the game.
Farnham turned around after the break with six changes having made, so that various combinations and personnel could be looked at.
Unfortunately, after battling well for the first ten minutes of the second half, Farnham started to lose their organisation in defence and this lead to some large spaces for the Camberley backs to exploit and Camberley went on to score under the posts and level the score.
Farnham were not to be deterred, however, and came roaring straight back into the game and put Camberley under pressure straight from the kick off. Camberley, however, were finding it more straightforward to deal with what the tiring Farnham side had to throw at them and went on to score two further tries with good blindside moves, although neither was converted.
All in all this was a promising day for Farnham and the positives far outweigh the negatives. There is, however, plenty to work on, not least defensive organisation and fitness and these issues (along with others) will be addressed in the three weeks before now and the start of the season.
We are always looking to welcome new players to the club, so if you are looking for somewhere to play come and join us on Tuesdays at the club from 19.15 or at Queen’s Avenue in Aldershot on Thursdays from 19.15. Alternatively call Club Captain Karl Brown on 07795 490922, or 1st Team Captain Graeme Black on 07977 424133 and they will give you more details.
For 2008/2009 match reports, please click here
