Old Emanuel 24pts, Farnham 27pts

AFTER last Saturday’s last-gasp heroics against Eastleigh, Farnham were looking forward to a more settled affair against Old Emanuel.

However, a combination of the kind of foul weather in which Farnham rarely thrive and yet another re-jigged pack of forwards meant the faithful travelling support were to be put through the ringer once again.

Credit to Farnham’s shape and discipline and Old Emanuel’s old school, never-say-die approach, the game concluded with a nail biting 27-24 try bonus point victory to the visitors.

Toby Comley and Jordon Frost, fresh from a three-week rest, were the only forwards in the Farnham pack from that which started the first game of the season. Jonny Davidson, a finisher for that first game, started at hooker propped by Ollie Thompson and Gareth Yeomans. Connor Haynes, up from the seconds, joined Frost with newcomer Rob Mitchell at eight, Comley at seven and Reece De Gruchy at six.

The backs had a more settled feel with skipper Brown at scrum half, Salmons Toby and Mike at 10 and 12, and James Corlett at outside centre. Ben Jones was at full back, as usual, with Joe Wigmore and Jack Scullion his wing men.

The game was played on a good surface but in a chilly northerly breeze and unrelenting rain, so handling and possession were at a premium. The first 15 minutes saw little between the sides as they probed and pressed but Farnham arguably had the upper hand defensively. This prompted the Old Emanuel number 10 to hoist a seemingly innocuous up-and-under from a free kick. No Farnham player claimed the ball and they let it bounce and the home centre duly latched onto it and raced through for the opening score. The conversion meant the visitors were 7-0 behind.

Old Emanuel returned the kick-off effectively and put Farnham under more pressure, and the concession of a penalty padded the home side’s lead to 10-0.

The early blows galvanised Farnham. With Jonny Davidson to the fore, ably assisted by Mitchell and Yeomans, Farnham battered there way back to within range of a penalty which was well taken by Toby Salmon to cut the gap to 7-3.

From the restart, the visitors repeated the procedure with the same strong carries and efficient recycling to within kicking range. Old Emanuel duly conceded the penalty, but Salmon’s attempt hit the upright. The ball was gathered by the home side but Farnham’s tackling, ferocious across the park all afternoon, forced the knock on.

By this time, Ollie Thompson had to be replaced at prop by Moses Kuralala. Ollie had hobbled off at the warm up yet started the game to battle hard and hold his own against a sizeable opposition prop. Now it was Moses’ turn and in that first encounter drove his man back. With good front-foot ball, the Farnham backs did their thing and Toby Salmon wernt over for his first of three tries in the game. The conversion was missed but Farnham were back in the hunt at half time trailing only 10-8.

Farnham have become adept at scoring from the restart - and the ever-reliable James Corlettmade no mistake at the start of the second period as he bashed his way up the middle. A couple more phases and Ollie Brown, who mixed his game well between pass and sniping runs, freed Toby Salmon who barged over for his second try. The conversion left Farnham ahead 15-10.

And there was more of the same to come fom the Old Emanuel kick off as Corlett again received and made good ground. The forwards carried the ball, creating space for Mike Salmon, who invariably makes the most of the open spaces. He fed brother Toby who off loaded to Scullion to canter in. Toby Salmon’s conversion gave Farnham a healthy 22-10 lead and looked to have sealed the win.

But Old Emanuel had other ideas. While lineouts from both sides were untidy, Farnham’s inexperienced tight five were having a torrid time in the set piece, and a scrum penalty to Old Emanuel was kicked to the corner from where an unstoppable maul piled over the try line. The conversion was good and trailing 22-17 Old Emanuel were back in it.

The ball was like a bar of soap from the outset and the continuous rain didn’t help matters, with the game fluctuating between phases and fumbles. At each set scrum, Farnham struggled but the defence outside held firm. In one particular period of play, Old Emanuel secured the ball on the halfway line and after a dozen phases failed to cross it.

After another multiple phase, Old Emanuel attacked but got nowhere and were forced to hoof the ball down field. Alex Chalker, on to bolster the backs who had lost James Corlett to the pack after Jordon Frost came off injured, collected the ball and made good ground across midfield. The ever-present Comley took it up and released Toby Salmon who beat the covering defenders and galloped in for his hat-trick and the bonus point try. The question was - at 27-17, was it game over?

The answer was an emphatic no! Back came Old Emanuel, who made the most of their tight-five dominance to turn over a set scrum on the Farnham 22. A deft chip from the No 10 and they were in under the posts. The conversion was a formality and Farnham’s lead was cut to 27-24.

In the last five minutes, the Old Emanuel pack rumbled forward but the Farnham line held.

Given the conditions, this was a good contest between two totally committed sides in which, to the credit of their coaching team, Farnham’s defensive efforts shaded the contest.

On Saturday, Farnham are in London and South East Division Intermediate Cup action away to Old Alleynians (kick-off 3pm).