It was wet and miserable day, to put it mildly, with many of the Winchester old boys surprised the match was going ahead - the sloppy slippery mud a sign of things to come. Farnham lined up with a strong pack, backrowers Henderson (C), Shawa Rai and Biggs sculpted a solid dynamic trio with power duo Voight and Harrison pairing in the row. A strong front row starting with workhorse Franzel and Vincent, missing injured in-form prop Pickett, was replaced on field by team talisman Azevedo. It was mostly business as usual in the backs. Familiar faces West and Brown pairing at scrum and fly half respectively. Electric runner Williams returns to the team in the centres rather than his normal perch on the wing, replacing absent captain Salmon - away due to deciding to get engaged to his loving fiancé during the season (when asked for comment social secretary West has stated that punishment for such a loving act will be swift and harsh), who was paired with veteran Joey Wood, back from his groin injury sustained against Cobham.

The back three of Brockman, Simmons and Stevens adding pace to the forward packs power. Coach Ali Chisholm deciding to go with a bomb squad bench of three forwards with powerhouse prop Sam Woodhams (due for his 49th cap), up and coming lock/back rower George Bellamy and mercurial back rower Jack Haylett. Of the many magnanimous decisions on the day was the one to kick the match off at 15:00 instead of the normal 14:00 adding darkness to the wet dreary weather.

From the kick off the majestics Zebra's showed the home team why they top the league simple, fast, and concise play leads to Wood breaking the line inside the 22, giving a pop pass to Williams who, attracting the defender, flashes the ball over to a thundering Vincent who barrels over for a try, extras added by Stevens 0-7. A great start showing the strengths of this Farnham team. However, from the restart things go awry - the kick off goes long and bounces off the pitch, the line out then goes over the top and Winchester capture the ball and begin their one dimensional attack, one up runners prove ineffective but they manage to suck in the Farnham defense and in a singular moment of inspiration for the match the fly half kicks an inch perfect crossfield to the winger who beats Brockman in the air to score, extras added and the game is level at 7-7. From the kick off Winchester try to relaunch their one up runner attack but the conditions catch up to them and they manage to fumble the ball a few times before initiating a kick battle, after a few strikes, following a weak Farnham kick, Winchester win a lineout on the Farnham 22. Yet, as will prove the only consistent thing on the night, the lineout malfunctions and Farnham recover the ball. West chips the ball, Azevedo catches it and carries, the ball reaches Williams who breaks up the wing making yards but is eventually brought down, a quick recycle hands the ball to Brown who breaks through giving the ball to the ever strong, reliable and sturdy coffee table Shawa Rai who crashes over, extras added by Stevens 7-14. What happens next is 20 minutes of competing lineouts from 22 to 22 with moments of brilliance from Farnham but conditions getting in the way. The final act of the half is a knock on to Winchester following an extraordinary break down the wing from Shawa Rai, the ball then given to Henderson who makes an amazing break but eventually spills the ball for a turn over. Overall Farnham proved to be the more tactically astute team in the first half but unforced errors prevented them for building a stronger lead. As the second half begins the wet weather calms but the wind intensifies, no side given an advantage as the wind swirls around the pitch.

The second half kicks off with twenty minutes of tough rugby, no side can get on top, both lineouts aren't working, while Farnham are solid defensively they cannot clear past their own 22. Two highlights from the passage are a solid grubber from Franzel and a clearance, chase and tackle by stalwart Shawa Rai. Towards the end of the block Williams exits the field for an HIA meaning backrower Haylett comes in to cover in the backs and Harrison takes a breather with ballista Bellamy coming into the row, the replacement painting a stark white contrast to the muddied and bloodied players already on the field. Following a strong defensive set Winchester manage to get down field and a slight over-cover in the backfield allows for a Winchester one up runner to run through the defensive line and score in the middle, extras added 14-14. Winchester manage to win two kickable penalties but fail to convert both times, however, Farnham continue to fail to clear properly giving Winchester countless lineouts on their own 22. with the hosts offensive imagination spent and tired legs setting in the match turns torrid, the sole excitement coming from a galloping Vincent breaking through the Winchester defense, with advantage, who manages to run half the pitch before passing off to Simmons who dinks a kick through, on his normally cultured boot, but he misjudges the conditions and it goes long. Woodhams comes on for his 49th cap in the dying minutes and, as is the season, blasts the Winchester scrum to kingdom come.

However, this new found dominance is short lived as a few Winchester mistakes later the referee blows the whistle on what ends up being a near 50 minute half. While wishing it was a win another draw against Winchester in tough conditions secures points keeping the unbeaten run going and keeping the Zebra's at the top of the table.

MotM
1- Shawa Rai
2- Oscar Henderson
3- Max Williams