Farnham blast valiant Camberley

From our pitchside correspondents Geoff Bond and Steve Alexander.
Farnham went to Camberley in bullish mood following their comprehensive victory at the home fixture earlier this year. Winning the toss, Farnham opted to play into a strong wind blowing down the slope for the first half. There were four changes from last week's team. Full back Gabe Hills, flanker Fran Meagher, lock James Franklin and Graham Black at hooker replaced the unavailable Chas Penn, Andrew Bond, Jason Crabbe and Morgan Rushton.
The conditions dictated territory from the onset. Camberley opened the scoring with a penalty as the Farnham line edged offside. Learning from their success under similar conditions on the Isle of Wight last month, Farnham forced the ball up field with a series of surging drives from the base of the ruck led by Daly and Chiverton. A penalty kicked to the corner earned a five metre line out. With the catch and drive held just short of the line, the ball was delivered to scrum half Rubio who fired the ball wide. Comley joined the line from the blind-side and slick hands allowed Hills his first try of the game. The resulting kick into the wind was narrowly missed.
Camberley went all out in attack from the restart and drove for the Farnham corner. A good throw, low driving positions and the lead changed hands. The home forwards proved a very different prospect from their visit to Farnham earlier in the season and within minutes repeated the process with a carbon copy try giving them a deserved lead of 15-5.
The Farnham forwards - with Simmons, Trodden, Daly and Franklin at the forefront - knew the game needed taking by the scruff if the initiative was to be wrested back. They began a series of pick and drives - a surge from flanker Chiverton made forty yards - that took the sting out of the home defence.
The change in emphasis freed up the Farnham backs. Centres Corlett and Salmon, well supplied by halfbacks Rubio and Penn, repeatedly broke the gain line to create opportunities to take the ball up field. A catch and drive from a five metre lineout set up Daly who is unstoppable from three metres. Try to Farnham! From the restart Farnham advanced through Jennings and Meagher forcing a penalty which Chris Penn again kicked for the corner. Another “repeat try”: catch and drive, held on the line, release the backs, Comely to Hills, Hills to score. And this time Rubio converted for Farnham to lead 17-15.
The see-saw encounter continued with Farnham conceding a penalty allowing the Camberley kicker to re-establish a slender lead. As half time beckoned, Farnham might have been content to be within a few points given the conditions they faced. However, there was enough time for Farnham to score their bonus point try. The ball was rifled wide again, and final miss pass from Corlett to Hills allowed Hills to cross the line for his third leaving Farnham 22-18 at the whistle.
With the wind and slope advantage, Farnham quickly got into their stride in the second half. Rampaging charges from Trodden and Simmons gave the backs their first opportunity of the half to make inroads. A long pass wide to left winger Ed Weeks set him up to score his first of the afternoon. Camberley offered plucky swarm defence but changes to their midfield began to expose some limitations. The Farnham pack forced a turnover on the half way line to release Hills for a 40 metre run that sliced through a crowded defence. A skilful dismissal of the full-back and he was under the posts. Rubio took the easy conversion and Farnham had created daylight between the scores: 34-18.
Farnham kept the pressure on and the next visit to Camberley territory ended with delightful sleight of hand that allowed Rubio to link with Daly for another short range try.
Rubio was successful with the long range conversion and the score quickly moved to a daunting 41-18. Not before long, a turnover by Franklin released the ball to the backs; Penn to Salmon and on to Comley. Captain Comely, who had played an unselfish game creating opportunities for others, took the opportunity to score his own, well earned, try.
The ubiquitous Meagher took a knock from his umpteenth tackle of the match and so was replaced by Richard Phillips who joined the back row for a well-deserved run out in the 1st XV.
Camberley never relented. They scored a well-worked break out try that offered them the chance of that all-important bonus point. A freak collision between Corlett and Phillips forced Corlett off to be replaced Freshwater.
Farnham now had the bit between their teeth and were not in the mood to stop scoring. Weeks crashed over for his second and the match was completed with a try from Chris Penn to produce a final score of 58-25. Another a good win for Farnham.
The visitors had been pushed all the way by a spirited Camberley XV that appears well on the road to recovery. The victory was a tribute to the depth of the Farnham squad. Black stepped into the breach at hooker, never an easy task, supported by props team talisman James Trodden and the hardworking Jennings. Franklin enjoyed a rumbustious performance with his second row partner Simmons in the second row and the back row of Meagher, Daly and Chiverton tackled and drove throughout.
The efforts of the forward pack enable the backs to flourish and that was the case in the second half. Farnham produced some superb back play to score ten tries in the match and now, after promotions from the Surrey 1st and 2nd Divisions in the last two years, sit proudly on top of London South West Division 3. The squad has worked hard for its festive break and should return refreshed for the next league encounter versus Old Wellingtonians on Saturday Jan 4th.