Farnham welcomed Chobham to Monkton Lane for the penultimate round of the league season. A hugely important match for Farnham as they knew a bonus point win secured the league title. The pack had 1 change with Greg Franzel returning at tight head however the backline were missing their regular 9,10,12 combination. Matt Hunt and Fin Sloan paired up at half backs with Joe Brockman moving inwards to fill the 12 shirt and Ben Stevens returning to full back. Oscar Henderson captained the side in the absence of the injured Toby Salmon and Farnham kicked off in front of a packed home crowd.

The opening exchanges were ferocious with both teams looking play. Chobham sitting in 7th had nothing to play so took several quick taps and wanted to impose themselves on the game. Farnham also wanted to play a quick game but a few early errors meant the first 10 minutes were scoreless with some nerves potentially showing. This was until Farnham turned the ball over in their 22 with Reece Stennett pouncing on a loose ball before offloading to Ben Stevens. The speedster kicked ahead and sprinted past the retreating Chobham defence before fly hacking through and re gathering the ball to dot down for the first score. A brilliant try that got the Farnham crowd on their feet. Stevens unfortunately couldn’t convert his score but first blood Farnham, 5-0. The score settled some nerves and the hosts were now on top. A very well executed lineout move saw Jack Bemelmans feed a charging Harrison Horner who broke several tackles before offloading back to Bemelmans who cantered in for the 2nd score. A move right off the training ground and one that delighted lineout specialists Sam Voight and Oscar Henderson. Conversion successful, 12-0.

Harrison Horner was again involved in the next score when he received the ball of the lineout and looked to carry, dragging in several Chobham defenders. However, he brilliantly floated a ball to the onrushing Joe Wigmore who burst through the line and sprinted clear for his 16th try of the season. Another try made on the training ground. Conversion successful, 19-0. The lineout was proving a great platform for Farnham and this time Fin Sloan used his pace to break through the line before offloading to Shawa Rai who bursted clear and touched down for the bonus point on the 30 minute mark. Was that the moment when Farnham officially clinched the league? Conversion successful, 26-0. Chobham kept battling away but the Farnham defence was staying strong and determined to keep a clean sheet. The half finished moments later with Farnham in an ideal position, securing the bonus point before halftime. 26-0.

Farnham rung the changes with both Marco Azevedo and Ed Grosvenor coming on in the pack. The words at half time were to finish the game and make sure we keep a clean sheet. A long clearing box kick from Matt Hunt pinged Chobham back and as they tried to returning the favour, Joe Brockman brilliantly charged down the kick. He grubbered through only to be taken out however luckily his centre partner Joe Wood was on hand to finish off and dive over for his score. Conversion successful, 33-0. The 2nd half was a bit more clunky with handling errors creeping in however Farnham were still looking the better side. A shot at the posts was missed and minutes later Farnham kicked the ball into the Chobham try area meaning a goal line restart. The visitors tried to take it quickly and looked for a low cross-kick to try and catch Farnham off guard. However, captain Henderson read it perfectly and powered through 2 tacklers before offloading to Marco Azevedo who dotted down for Farnham’s 6th try. Conversion successful, 40-0.

Farnham continued to dominate territory with half backs Matt Hunt and Fin Sloan putting in some long-range kicks. A scrum for the visitors inside their 22 gave them a good platform to clear however another charge down, this time by Reece Stennett created another opportunity with Joe Brockman sweeping up the loose ball to score in the corner. Conversion missed, 45-0. Skipper Oscar Henderson took a blow to the ankle so was replaced by Oli Kirkpatrick. Moments later, Joe Wigmore was harshly shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on. Chobham were keen to get on the scoreboard and did so after eventually breaking down the Farnham defence with their replacement prop diving over. Conversion successful, 45-7. Farnham were certainly thinking of their celebrations as Chobham finished the better of the 2 teams and scored at full time with a crossfield kick and their flanker dived over in the corner. Conversion missed but the full-time score, 45-12.

The Farnham squad celebrated together as it has been a great team effort this season. The trophy was lifted in front of a packed balcony with champagne and beers being sprayed. As someone who has been part of this club for 23 years, it was one of the best days/evenings the club has experienced as they confirmed their promotion to level 5 for the first time. We finish our league season in 2 weeks’ time away at Bournemouth before starting our cup campaign away at Battersea on the 12th of April.

Presidents podium
3- Jack Bemelmans
2- Ben Stevens
1- Harrison Horner