Farnham made the long trip down to Topsham for the semi final of the Papa Johns Regional 2 championship. The Farnham pack was unchanged from last week with the backline bolstered by the return of skipper Toby Salmon and top try scorer Joe Wigmore. The sun was shining although a stiff breeze down the hill was effective which Farnham opted to play into for the first half. The home side kicked off and the game was underway.

The opening exchanges were frantic with the game already at the expected high intensity. However it was the visitors who drew first blood when Ed Grosvenor broke through and was brought down on the 22. The ball was quickly recycled and moved wide with the powerful Oscar Henderson bouncing off 3 Topsham defenders to dot down in the corner. Conversion missed but first blood to Farnham, 0-5. The home side were roared on the by the crowd and looked threatening in attack. 2 penalty kicks in the space of 5 minutes though took them into the lead. 6-5. Ed Grosvenor also had to leave the field with a dislocated shoulder and we wish him all the best in his recovery. Farnham got into their structure and loose forwards Shawa Rai and Jack Bemelmans were making inroads. On the 20 minute mark, Topsham were threatening the Farnham line however the defence stayed strong and turned the ball, unfortunately the ball went loose and the Topsham forward picked up the ball to dot down. After the referee conferred with the lineman, the try was awarded. Conversion successful, 13-5.

Farnham had to respond and were awarded a penalty just outside their own 22 minutes later. A quick tap from Ollie Brown put Toby Salmon into the Topsham half, the ball was then moved wide through Ben Stevens and Shawa Rai with the latter sprinting to the line, only to be brought down 5 meters short. The cover defence though slowed the ball illegally with their 15 shown a yellow card. Captain Salmon took the easy 3 points with the score now, 13-8. Farnham were now in control and sensed a score before halftime. The forwards continued to carry hard and with the defence sucked in, the ball was moved wide to Joe Wigmore who was stopped meters short before the ball was ripped by Topsham. However the ball was knocked back and fell into the hands of Joe Wood who dotted down for a simple score in the corner. Conversion missed and the score was 13-13 at the break.

Farnham were content with the scoreline, knowing they had the wind 2nd half. The 2nd half started promising with Ben Stevens kicking in behind and finding lots of space. Topsham managed to scramble well however Farnham unfortunately lost Joe Wood to a bad head knock and he was replaced by Max Williams, who made the trip over from Swansea university. Topsham continued to play from everywhere and test the Farnham defence. They made a break down the wing however the impressive Joe Brockman bundled his opposite man into touch. The home side continued to attack and retained possession very well. They broke into the Farnham 22 and looked to be in for the first try of the half however fullback Ben Stevens intercept the ball and sprinted 90 meters to dot down in the corner. A crucial score and Salmon converted to make it 13-20 after 50 minutes.

Farnham kicked back long after the restart and won a penalty to continue to apply the pressure. Salmon attempted a long range penalty minutes later however it fell just short. Jack Bemelmans and George Bellamy unfortunately clashed heads in a tackle meaning they were replaced by Jack Buxton and Jack Haylett. A powerful Topsham scrum saw them win it against the head and move the ball quickly wide. The offloading game was strong and the left winger dived over in the corner. Conversion missed, 18-20. The home side gathered the restart and came charging back. Some weak defending allowed them to get in behind but Farnham managed to scramble to stop the flow. The ball was well retained and the home side eventually broke Farnham down to score on the right hand side. Conversion missed again but back to back scores that turned the tie. 23-20.

Tommy Allen came on for Joe Wigmore and Farnham needed to get back into the game. Tiredness was starting to show with the usually reliable defence, starting to creek. Opportunities were created however a mixture of good defence and the odd loose pass, stopped any momentum. A penalty in front of the posts with a minute remaining gave the home side a chance to extend their lead which they dually converted. 26-20. The restarted presented the last play in which the home side easily gathered and kicked it off the pitch.

Full credit to Topsham who were the better side on the day with Farnham eventually running out of steam. Despite the sad emotions on the day, Farnham can be proud of their season and take forward high expectations for next season. Thank you everyone for their support this season, it’s been amazing!

Presidents podium
3- Ben Stevens
2- Sam Voight
1- Jack Bemelmans