Hornets destroy Hampshire opposition.

The Hornets met the second team of Southampton on Saturday at Monkton Lane. The game kicked off with Farnham receiving the ball, and the forwards immediately engaged in a direct drive into the opposition.

Farnham were determined to make a better start to this game than in the recent league matches, so began with gusto and intensity. Despite a significant size advantage with the Southampton pack, the Farnham front row were able to get lower and pile pressure on in the scrum. Within the first 5 minutes some neat handling work from the backs saw Mark Baines find space out wide where he beat several defenders and dived over in the corner, snapping the corner flag in two in the process!

This early score was a sign of things to come as the Farnham team could smell blood, and sensed they had greater mobility all over the pitch. The rest of the afternoon was a showcase of attacking talent and the potential that the Hornets have if they work together. Strong carrying in the forwards from Andy Coutts, Dan Ross and James Franklin sucked in defenders and gave the backs space to exploit.

Explosive speed from Olli Van Dongen and debutant Taryke Van Rensburg led to two quick tries, putting Farnham in a strong position. Un-selfish handling down the line saw James Franklin in position to score and he extended his long arms to get the ball down over the line.

A long kick off was caught by the Farnham forwards and passed away from the chasing pack. The ball moved swiftly through several sets of hands before finding Captain Oli Richford in the centres. Seeing a gap he powered through it and sprinted the remaining 50 yards to the line to score another. John Weldon scored another conversion which would contribute to his excellent haul of 12 points in total for the day.

In the second half the Hornets continued the onslaught led by some tries from Dan Ross, a brace from hulking number 8 Craig Macey and two more tries for Taryke Van Rensburg. Mark Baines continued to be a menace on the wing, returning kicks alongside dangerous full back Andrew Freshwater.

Flanker Greg Mungall scored another try for Farnham before suffering a dead leg that ended his afternoon. Seb Murray made an excellent breakaway but unfortunately had his pass intercepted when he tried to thread the ball to Oli Richford. Nick Williams playing for the first time for Farnham made an excellent chase after a grubber kick, but was tackled as he picked the ball up just a metre from the line (much to the amusement of his new team mates!).

The ball was moved wide and the ball passed outwards to a waiting Joe Traynor, only for Mark Baines to catch the ball in front of him with the line beckoning, and seal his hat trick. Local student Traynor was less than impressed but will have to wait until another week to score his first of the season. A last ditch effort by the Southampton forwards saw them get a consolation try.

A fantastic performance by the Hornets saw impressive performances from Mark Baines and Taryke Van Resnburg who scored three each. Credit should also go to the Farnham players that donned a red shirt for some of the afternoon, playing some time for Southampton as their lack of substitutes left them with fewer numbers. Next week sees a return to league fixtures against London Irish Nomads at Monkton Lane.

Written by Oli Richford