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Sat 08 Mar 2014 · London 3 South West
Ellingham & Ringwood
1st XV
8
63
Another virtuoso display
Mark Weeks10 Mar 2014 - 09:01
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The foot stays on the pedal for New Forest try-fest
The New Forest Club Ellingham and Ringwood welcomed Farnham to their superb clubhouse and at last a firm pitch and still, bright conditions.
Both teams had disrupted line-ups through injury and availability. Farnham were further impeded when hooker Morgan Rushton broke his ankle in a freak accident during the warm up.
Dean Chiverton stepped up to lead the Farnham front row. Andy Freshwater was in at fly-half for last week’s injury victim Chris Penn and veteran stalwart Barney Hart took the injured James Trodden’s post at prop.
October’s home fixture against E&R had been a real battle with Farnham emerging as winners thanks to two late tries. A sizeable home crowd turned out to cheer on their team and for a rare moment this season, the Farnham faithful were outnumbered.
What a start and what an outcome! Despite the changes Farnham picked up from last week's tempo and began at a furious pace. The home team took up the challenge and for the first twenty minutes there was parity with thrust and counter thrust.
An early attacking line-out was orchestrated by Buster Bond who set up the drive for the line. And it was Bond at the bottom of the pile to secure the opening score.
Back came E&R to open their account by putting the visitors under pressure and forcing a penalty. The levels of physicality ramped up with the front fives at each other hammer and tongs. The Hampshire referee finally lost his patience and props from both were sent sides to the bin following a minor fracas.
With 20 minutes gone the game and the score still at 3-5 the game was living up to expectations. Missing key players, would the Farnham orchestra strike the high notes of previous games? With promotion assured might the foot come off the pedal?
Whoosh! The pedal went down and Farnham accelerated into the game leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Ed Weeks who eventually scored five tries in the match was first released by fly half Freshwater to go in unopposed under the posts with the Rubio conversion 3-12.
Skipper Toby Comley was the next to benefit from the power of the Farnham back row as first Daly, then Bond and finally Crabb went on the rampage. Try number three and 3-17 to the visitors.
Farnham have matured over the season. They are hard on themselves in training and all that work is now starting to pay off. Despite the changes they remained true to an exciting playing style based on quick ball and constant support.
E&R found the relentless pace and tempo to hot. During a period of just twelve minutes straddling te halftime break Farnham secured the bonus point and put the game and possibly the league out of sight with five superb tries.
Centre Ed Weeks completed his hat trick through sheer pace. Pete Daly raced sixty metres on an unstoppable charge to score his customary try and then winger Chas Penn left his opposing number trailing to stretch the score to 3-41. The music had really started and there was more to come.
The most popular try of the afternoon was loudly cheered by the Farnham crowd. Second row Steve Simmons took an inside pass from row partner James Franklin to crash through the home defence for his first try of the season. This was just reward for the colossal level of work in the engine room of the scrum and their skill and effort in broken play.
This hard work and dedication is epitomised by props Lennie Jennings and Barney Hart who dominated their opposite numbers throughout the game and a welcome return to first team duties for Matt Kelleher.
This unit relies on "player's players" those who put their bodies on the line for the team. Fran Meagher and Dean Chiverton epitomise this. Meagher at one stage driving the charging E&R second row back seven yards with a devastating tackle. Chiverton was constantly breaking out and making yard after yard with a series of successive drives.
With centre Mike Salmon enjoying success through the middle, Ed Weeks was able to feed off acres of space and added his fourth try on the hour.
As happened last week, Farnham's ambition towards expansive play offered the opposition an opportunity and they squeezed over the line for their reward. This was reward for the home team’s consistent effort and gave the large home crowd something to cheer. However the missed conversion from in front of the posts was a reflection on their day.
Scrum half Ben Rubio 'orchestrated' the game throughout. Probing here, prompting there he was the genuine 'Petit General'. His influence on the game was even more critical with a new fly half to bed in. In this role, Freshwater was steady and dictated the pace of the game and gave the coaching staff a timely reminder of his talents. Competition for places across the squad will be a valuable commodity the tougher encounters of London South West 2.
With the clock running down Farnham still attacked. Chas Penn completed his brace of tries and then, appropriately, Man of the Match Ed Weeks topped off his personal triumph scoring his fifth try - a superb effort.
The role of the Podium Panel to select the man of the match is becoming increasingly difficult as the season goes on. This was one of the best performances of a long season. The foot cold have come off the pedal but it must certainly did not. Disruptions did not dampen the spirit and there were standout performances across the board. Speedster Gabe Hills Farnham’s leading try scorer eased himself back in after a five week injury break. Rubio and Freshwater kept the rhythms going and the back row of Bond, Daly and Crabb with Meagher coming on from the bench were punishing at the breakdown and damaging in the tackle. Their collective hard yards set the tone for much of the game. A great display.
Man of the match Ed Weeks; five tries in a match is virtually unheard of. Conductor Rubio two points and second row Steve Simmons for his champagne moment.
Both teams had disrupted line-ups through injury and availability. Farnham were further impeded when hooker Morgan Rushton broke his ankle in a freak accident during the warm up.
Dean Chiverton stepped up to lead the Farnham front row. Andy Freshwater was in at fly-half for last week’s injury victim Chris Penn and veteran stalwart Barney Hart took the injured James Trodden’s post at prop.
October’s home fixture against E&R had been a real battle with Farnham emerging as winners thanks to two late tries. A sizeable home crowd turned out to cheer on their team and for a rare moment this season, the Farnham faithful were outnumbered.
What a start and what an outcome! Despite the changes Farnham picked up from last week's tempo and began at a furious pace. The home team took up the challenge and for the first twenty minutes there was parity with thrust and counter thrust.
An early attacking line-out was orchestrated by Buster Bond who set up the drive for the line. And it was Bond at the bottom of the pile to secure the opening score.
Back came E&R to open their account by putting the visitors under pressure and forcing a penalty. The levels of physicality ramped up with the front fives at each other hammer and tongs. The Hampshire referee finally lost his patience and props from both were sent sides to the bin following a minor fracas.
With 20 minutes gone the game and the score still at 3-5 the game was living up to expectations. Missing key players, would the Farnham orchestra strike the high notes of previous games? With promotion assured might the foot come off the pedal?
Whoosh! The pedal went down and Farnham accelerated into the game leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Ed Weeks who eventually scored five tries in the match was first released by fly half Freshwater to go in unopposed under the posts with the Rubio conversion 3-12.
Skipper Toby Comley was the next to benefit from the power of the Farnham back row as first Daly, then Bond and finally Crabb went on the rampage. Try number three and 3-17 to the visitors.
Farnham have matured over the season. They are hard on themselves in training and all that work is now starting to pay off. Despite the changes they remained true to an exciting playing style based on quick ball and constant support.
E&R found the relentless pace and tempo to hot. During a period of just twelve minutes straddling te halftime break Farnham secured the bonus point and put the game and possibly the league out of sight with five superb tries.
Centre Ed Weeks completed his hat trick through sheer pace. Pete Daly raced sixty metres on an unstoppable charge to score his customary try and then winger Chas Penn left his opposing number trailing to stretch the score to 3-41. The music had really started and there was more to come.
The most popular try of the afternoon was loudly cheered by the Farnham crowd. Second row Steve Simmons took an inside pass from row partner James Franklin to crash through the home defence for his first try of the season. This was just reward for the colossal level of work in the engine room of the scrum and their skill and effort in broken play.
This hard work and dedication is epitomised by props Lennie Jennings and Barney Hart who dominated their opposite numbers throughout the game and a welcome return to first team duties for Matt Kelleher.
This unit relies on "player's players" those who put their bodies on the line for the team. Fran Meagher and Dean Chiverton epitomise this. Meagher at one stage driving the charging E&R second row back seven yards with a devastating tackle. Chiverton was constantly breaking out and making yard after yard with a series of successive drives.
With centre Mike Salmon enjoying success through the middle, Ed Weeks was able to feed off acres of space and added his fourth try on the hour.
As happened last week, Farnham's ambition towards expansive play offered the opposition an opportunity and they squeezed over the line for their reward. This was reward for the home team’s consistent effort and gave the large home crowd something to cheer. However the missed conversion from in front of the posts was a reflection on their day.
Scrum half Ben Rubio 'orchestrated' the game throughout. Probing here, prompting there he was the genuine 'Petit General'. His influence on the game was even more critical with a new fly half to bed in. In this role, Freshwater was steady and dictated the pace of the game and gave the coaching staff a timely reminder of his talents. Competition for places across the squad will be a valuable commodity the tougher encounters of London South West 2.
With the clock running down Farnham still attacked. Chas Penn completed his brace of tries and then, appropriately, Man of the Match Ed Weeks topped off his personal triumph scoring his fifth try - a superb effort.
The role of the Podium Panel to select the man of the match is becoming increasingly difficult as the season goes on. This was one of the best performances of a long season. The foot cold have come off the pedal but it must certainly did not. Disruptions did not dampen the spirit and there were standout performances across the board. Speedster Gabe Hills Farnham’s leading try scorer eased himself back in after a five week injury break. Rubio and Freshwater kept the rhythms going and the back row of Bond, Daly and Crabb with Meagher coming on from the bench were punishing at the breakdown and damaging in the tackle. Their collective hard yards set the tone for much of the game. A great display.
Man of the match Ed Weeks; five tries in a match is virtually unheard of. Conductor Rubio two points and second row Steve Simmons for his champagne moment.
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