Farnham play Chobham in Thriller

Playing a Chobham team who are two divisions above us in the Surrey League (and who beat us 14 – 54 the last time we played), the boys nevertheless went into the game brimming with confidence.

The pitch was somewhat reminiscent of our old ground at Wrecclesham, sloping and devoid of grass, it looked like it was going to be a game for the purists – a forward dominated mud fest.

Well, we got the mud fest (my sincere apologies to the poor mum who has drawn kit washing duty this week!) and the forwards did deliver the platform for the game to be played but, in defiance of all the rules on how the game is supposed to be played on days like this, all of the Farnham tries came from the backs.

Playing downhill in the first half, there was only one team in the game with Farnham running in 4 unanswered tries with one conversion. Josh Swinney opened the scoring with further tries from Jordan Greener, George Northwood and Matt Carrington

It was always going to be difficult to keep the momentum going in the second half, playing uphill and with no replacements for the forwards who were beginning to tire but a total rotation in the backs to get everyone a game. It was Farnham who were quickly on the defensive, defending the slope was a tricky proposition and an early try for Chobham threatened to open the floodgates. However, the Farnham defence stiffened and we managed to keep the scoring low. With 17 minutes to go though, Chobham levelled the scores at 22 – 22 and the prospects for a record 10th victory were looking poor. With 10 minutes left on the clock, concerted pressure from Farnham (largely in the form of an inspired Stuart Ford) earned them a penalty in a very kickable position. Matt Carrington stepped up to take the only points scored by either team going uphill and Farnham were back ahead.

The restart saw Chobham back in the Farnham 22 and with just minutes left on the clock they crossed the line. The Farnham players appealed for the ball held up but the referee disagreed and the points were awarded. The last three minutes saw a desperate attack from Farnham but hands were cold and bodies were tired by this point and with backs filling in as forwards as the workload took its toll, a couple of knock-ons saw the referee blow the final whistle.

The Farnham boys can walk away from this game with their heads held high. Playing two divisions up with a number of players out, others still returning from injury and blooding two new players into the team, Farnham looked as though they belonged in division 2 and the cheer from Chobham told you everything.

On the subject of new players, I want to offer a warm welcome to Harry Bowden and Peter Ewens (technically a returnee). Both put in sterling performances and looked very comfortable in Farnham colours.

This game was all about the team and the squad. No one looked out of place and every player can be proud of his contribution. It was also particularly pleasing to see James Quick, Jordan Frost and Jordan Smith all make the journey to support their team despite being out to injuries themselves. We are looking forward to seeing them back.

Team: Will Ackroyd, Jevan Watson, Stuart Ford, Harry Bowden, Freddy Tully, Toby Fairhead, Hal Jupp, Thomas Brooker, Josh Swinney, Alistair Williams, Ben Turnbull, Matthew Carrington, Jordan Greener, Alex Chalker, George Northwood. Replacements (all used): Matthew Alcock, Cameron Beach, Kyle Hume, Peter Ewens, David Tyler, Rhys Bassett, Daniel Milliner.

Man of the Match: Stuart Ford