That scent in the air was not the approach of autumn, it was the return of the rugby season! After the longest two weeks of the rugby season, due to drought conditions causing dangerously hard grounds, we were away again on the quest for honours and or entertainment on a Saturday afternoon.

The first game of the 2026/27 took the 1st XV to a Bracknell’s Lily Hill for what is always a tough encounter, looking to avenge the last minute defeat from last season.

Farnham welcomed new players to the squad. Will Whybro and his silky footwork graduates from the Academy, to start at full back. Alex Horger joins from Winchester bringing yet more pace to the wing department. The industrious Chris Bird joins from National 2’s Dorking and Harry Martyn came off the bench to make his debut, another to make the move from Camberley to Farnham.

‘The balcony’ is in for a treat this season.

Bracknell had produced a fine-looking track, deep green, like their shirts, and soft enough to take a stud. After the ‘hi’s and hello’s’ of the travelling balcony, we settled in. We were to witness 2 great moments later in the game which were worth the trip alone!

Farnham kicked off down the hill, for the Lily Hill Drive ground is decidedly not level, and the tone for the game was set; the Bracknell wingers and centres were adept at finding spaces and with pace exploiting, causing Farnham to scramble. This scenario would remain right up to the final tick of the unfavourable clock.

Farnham forwards ‘put in a shift’. They were quick off the mark and powerful and accurate in the carry and tackle, Horner’s ‘swerve step’ prominent; the lineout was a treat and the scrum was solid…all but once. In the first few minutes all the above worked to get Shawa Rai but a despairing grab of his ankle away from cantering in from their 10m or Horger like lightening coming in off his wing, only to feel the steely welcome of the Bracknell defence. The portents were good.

The game developed its rhythm.

A Farnham penalty just outside their 22. The regular playbook was adopted. Salmon kick to touch; Bird raised highest…and that most delicious (if your playing) mess, the maul took the ball over with Matt Kouris coming up with the pill. 0-7 (Salmon got the kick). This was after 5 minutes. A great start.

The kick-off produced a warning for the away supporters. The restart cleared to touch by Salmon only for Bracknell to take the quick throw in, the pace outside and scrambled defence just good enough, but back into Farnham 22.

Bracknell then went to their own maul putting Farnham under pressure. Four times they tried. Four times they were repelled with some stout, if not always legal defending. Just as the danger was thought the be diffused. A kick in behind from the Bracknell 10 into a vacant back field bounced kindly, try under the posts. 7-7.

Farnham then managed to control some possession and got some good field position from an excellent Salmon touch finder. The resulting maul rumble was stopped and then a series a tight punching carries got the zebras to the 5-metre line. After a few pick-and-goes Kouris showed some great power to drive over from short range. 7-14.

Just before half time and after an irresistible Farnham rolling maul got to about 5m, which was brought down by the defence, who had no other option and if the ref considered a penalty try he quickly dismissed it, produced another three lineouts, all won within Bracknell 22. The home crowd between Bracknell try line and the 22 got all of the game for 20 mins of the first half, right in front of them. Finally, the rolling maul produced the hattrick try for Kouris. 7-21 (Salmon kicked the con) 32mins

Then comes 5 minutes Farnham will wish to forget.

After the kick off and the restart contest not cleanly won and a few phases of regular carry and tackle, the Bracknell backs moved the ball to the 13 channel and the speedsters went through a gaping hole in the Farnham defence under the posts, just as siren calls to action from the home support were sounding more urgent. 14-21 – 34mins

Worryingly, after the restart and a lineout and some more basic passing along the line from Bracknell, the final pass to the Bracknell winger who goes over untouched. 21-21 at half time.

After the half Horger was fully involved in his debut try. Having collected a clearing kick into the Farnham 22 he chases his own kick and tackles the defender into touch. Farnham win the line out and a classic Farnham lineout strike play works a treat, the ball finding its way to Horger, a show and go beats the full back and he sped in on the left under the posts 21-28. (Salmon got the kick) 55 mins

Minutes later Bracknell quickly score one of their own out wide. 26-28.

Tries are always great to watch but some are just brilliantly different. With play just outside Bracknell 22 and no real progress being made, inexplicably to those watching, magic happened. Salmon, without so much as a glance put in a 30-metre cross field kick where Max Williams was waiting and after hanging in the air, patted the ball back into the field of play. It was as if he’d spent the summer doing nothing but box jumps, and we are grateful, his momentum taking 2m beyond the touch line. Ben Stevens gratefully accepted the pass as if going out for coffee and ran the ball in to score. The extraordinary series of events were like nothing to these players; it was a moment of exquisite skill and understanding. The lead extends to 26-33.

After some Bracknell pressure, Horger reacts quickest to a bouncing ball and sprints up hill from his 22 with oppo players breathing down his neck, he dots down under the posts. 26-40.

Farnham up by 14 points with 10 minutes to play.

Bracknell manage to score again in front of their home supporters to make it 31-40. With Farnham struggling to battle their way up the hill, a scrum in front of their own posts goes backwards earning Bracknell a penalty and more importantly perhaps a sniff of more points. It had been a see-saw game but Farnham were always making the running on the scoreboard. Bracknell took the easy points from the pen in front, 34-40. We moved on to the dénouement. There were no more than a few minutes left, the count clock in the stadium had gone beyond zero.

From a deep restart the Bracknell player caught the ball just outside his 22 and was tackled. For the next four minutes Bracknell were contained between their 22 and 10m lines with committed Farnham defending but crucially they still had the ball and the first half showed us some things about breakout try scoring. Potential breakouts were snuffed out and the defence were quick off the line and although not heard in on the side line it just must have been ‘last play’. Bracknell kept the ball alive. Bracknell mountainous second row picked from a ruck slipped a tackle, smuggled the ball to a Bracknell flyer who ran in from the Farnham 10m under the sticks, the conversion to win the game 41-40 was a ‘gimme’.

Farnham players were frustrated – that much was obvious. The coaches will likely take the positives from the game but definitely lots to work on. There was joy abounding in the Farnham play which was good to watch and the new players are a great addition to the playing rosta.

Now though we look for a win next week against Maidenhead.

Podium Points

3 – Alex Horger
2 – Max Williams
1 – Matt Kouris