Farnham 28 - 7 Weybridge Vandals

Appropriately, veteran club captain Karl Brown led Farnham out for the inaugural game on 1st team pitch, where Farnham kicked off. Initial exchanges saw Farnham work the ball wide and test the opposition back line on the large pitch.

The Hornets were strong in the lineout, both with and without the ball. Steve Clarke and Greg Mungall jumped well, putting pressure on the opposition hooker. Particular credit must go to Mungall, giving a solid performance on his debut for the Hornets, and playing out of position in the second row.

Winning the opposition ball, the Hornets were able to counter attack and kicked deep. Strong chase work by Sam Greensitt gave a great position to attack from. Despite a disadvantage in size and weight, strong scrummaging from Farnham saw Ben Gandy pick-up from number 8 and drive towards the line. Gandy was tackled short of the line, but having sucked in several defenders, John Weldon moved the ball to Will Cameron who crashed through to open the scoring.

Vandals seemed reluctant to pass the ball wide and kept the ball close to the set-piece, running directly in the forwards and crashing in the centres. In the one attempt that Vandals did try to move the ball wide, good pressure from the Farnham defence saw Will Cameron pick-up a loose ball and sprint in from 40 yards. 2 tries on his debut was a great result for Will, a recent graduate of the academy. John Weldon converted again to make it 14-0.

Reeling from the strong start Farnham had made, Weybridge got possession and decided to keep the ball in the forwards. This direct driving style put pressure on Farnham and poor discipline at the ruck gave away a series of penalties. Weybridge marched down the field but as they approached the Hornets try line, solid tackling from Tom March forced a turnover.

As the first half drew to a close, Farnham closed things out 14-0. Man of the match Tom March was forced to go off for a while to ice his injured hip (a legacy injury from a bull fighting incident on his recent holiday to Spain!). Keith Harding, who had already played the first half for the 3s came on in his place.

Rehydrated after the break, the Hornets once again turned on flair. The game became increasingly fragmented as the heat of the afternoon took its toll on the players. Ben Gandy made some strong runs in open play, forcing several defenders to bring him down each time.

Another player making his first appearance in Farnham colours was Andrew Freshwater at fullback. He was a constant menace returning kicks and bursting through into the back line. One of the attacks begun by Freshwater led to the next Farnham score, where fluid handling allowed Ben Gandy to smash over.

Weybridge then capitalised on a knock-on from a well chased kick to win a scrum in the Farnham 22. The set-piece was strong for Farnham but a simple move and a drop in concentration allowed the Vandals to get in for a score to make it 21-7.

A line break from Matt Kelleher gave an opportunity to Steve Clarke to dive over on the wing. Due to the tight angle, John Weldon was unable to convert. Soon after this score, further mazy running from Freshwater led to a try for Henry Milas.

Pete Simmons, recently made a Granddad, decided this was the moment for his comeback! He came on in the front row with 10 minutes remaining. Fellow veteran player Keith Harding started and almost finished a scything move, only to receive the ball back and fumble it forward as he crossed the line.

Remaining time allowed for one final score from Ben Gandy who led well in the forwards. The final score was 38-7 to Farnham, a big win as the first game at the new ground. This bodes well for the Hornets in the season ahead. The next match is another home fixture against Reigate on the 15th.

Written by Oli Richford.