With the all new playing shirts from Saltus the girls took to the field with a focus and belief in the team.

Chobham our nemesis in Surrey is always a tough fixture and it proved to be no different today. From kick off the girls worked together, supporting each other, not allowing Chobham's strong ball carriers any chances. The first 10 minutes were played ferociously trying to get the first blow. Chobham kept the ball tight with a strong pack whilst Farnham tried to move the ball wide. The first chance Chobham had to move the ball wide resulted in an isolated winger being tackled and the ensuing turnover allowed our returning speedster Lara to run from inside our 22 to score under the posts. First blow Farnham converted by Grace Price.
The first period continued much as it started both sides trading attacks with no real territorial advantage gained by either side. The one thing Farnham seemed to be on top of was scrum time. An attacking scrum in the middle of the field on Chobham's 22 allowed the backs to experiment (completely made up on the field by the girls!) they set up to go open but called a blindside move. The backs all in sync were waiting for the No8 to pick and go which she did taking out the Chobham back row giving them the overlap, all that was needed was to get the ball through the hands which they managed expertly and Amelie Moran finished off a great move with a dive through a last ditch tackle scoring out wide. An extremely difficult conversion attempt was struck sweetly and straight through the posts for an incredible 14-0 lead which the girls deserved at half time.

Half time the crowd was excited and the girls believed. Chobham however were not going to let us have it our way without a fight. From the kick off the dormant Chobham ball carriers in the first period sprung to life. Wave after wave of strong ball carriers coming from depth sucked the Farnham defense in. Chobham's belief rose rapidly and their offloading allowed their runners to find gaps around the breakdown. Chobham scored twice in quick succession converting both from under the posts to level the score with 15 minutes remaining.

Chobham had found a way to play and were enjoying long periods in our 22. They thought they had taken the lead when our tight head Kerrie Kelly made a try saving tackle as the Chobham second row crossed the line. She held up the second row using all her strength allowing us to clear the danger temporarily. Wave after wave came back from Chobham and as the girls defended with everything they had until Chobham who had waited patiently passed out wide and their winger scored. 14-19 and Chobham were on top for the first time in the game.

From the following restart the girls changed their target and really fought to regain possession. A period of Farnham dominance saw Chobham scramble several times in defense. One side of the pitch to the other, battering ram through the middle the girls tried everything to get back on terms. Chobham eventually turned the ball over on their goal line and managed to get the ball to their full back who cleared with a huge hoof into the Farnham half. Full back Molly Warnes assisted by Emma getting back to secure the ball did so well and as we looked up the girls saw space and ran it back with intent. Chobham thwarted the attack not a moment too soon turning the ball over and a foot race down the wing saw Lara drag the break away down metres from the line but Chobham were not done yet! they had momentum and it looked inevitable but with the girls still all desperate to get back the Chobham player didn't realise were she was and in an attempt to make the conversion easier she stepped over the dead ball line giving Farnham a huge let off.

As we restarted from the 22 drop out Chobham were clearly disappointed not to have put the game to bed and piled forward. Again Farnham repelled the onslaught with ferocious tackling from all of the forwards which deservedly resulted in us turning the ball over on our own try line. Under pressure and with a 3 on 1 all we needed to do was get the ball into the hands of our winger and a foot race would have been on. However Chobham saw the plan and intercepted the pass to score an easy try which was converted. Final score Farnham 14 Chobham 26. What an incredible game of rugby for the girls hats off to Chobham for the way they came back in the second half.

Player of the match voted by Chobham - Captain of the day Phoebe Sweales
Special mentions - The entire team for the best team performance of the season! Chobham are a great side with strength all over the pitch!

Thanks to Alistair Mylchreest for reffing our home Waterfall Cup fixtures this season!!
Thanks to Saltus for the new match shirts the girls loved them.....
And finally a huge thanks to all the parents for the positive support and encouragement they show every match.