Farnham 6pts, Winchester 7pts

The teams ran out onto a pitch greasy from a week of rain. These conditions would not help the Farnham backs but were perfect for Winchester’s heavy pack.

And so it proved as Farnham’s proud nine-game unbeaten run in London 2 South West came to an end in the last match before the Christmas break.

And the defeat is sure to sting the league leaders into action when they resume their bid for National 1 South rugby next season against Old Reigatian on January 4.

Farnham’s lofted kick-off was swallowed up by the Winchester second row of Smith and Rayner, who launched the first of many driving mauls. Pick and drive suited the Hampshire team and they sustained it as their game plan for almost the entire match.

The Winchester pack didn’t look athletic, but perceptions can lie. Farnham were often battered back at the lineout, breakdown and scrum. It was a hard afternoon for the Farnham forwards.

The game became a defensive slug-fest as the Winchester heavies battered at the Farnham wall. Time and time again the Farnham back row of Welch, Mitchell and Comley, ably assisted by Adams and Simmons, held the threat on or back from the gain line. The wall held…just!

The first 20 minutes was an arm wrestle in which Winchester enjoyed the greater advantage in territory and possession.

The penalties against Farnham began to mount and another Winchester penalty allowed the visitors to opt for a scrum under the home posts. The heavies heaved and Winchester’s No8, Golding, smashed over for the opening score. The extras were easy for winger Tolan and it was 7-0 to the Hampshire boys.

The Farnham backs came back with a vengeance. Michael Salmon spearheaded attack after attack, only to be beaten back by the Winchester defence who lived dangerously close to the offside line – frustrating attackers and home supporters alike. Farnham continued to drive forward but were undone by untidy passing, poor decision making and over-complicated moves on a surface more suited to a direct approach.

At half time, coaches Ali Chisholm and Max Crumpton reshuffled the pack. Naisbitt came on for Joris, Kidd on as flanker with Mitchell reassigned to the row for Simmons. The Farnham boys returned to the fray with the mother of all half-time team talks from Crumpton ringing in their ears. The urgency returned but only sporadically. The game plan was predictable. Mitchell and Naisbitt as first receivers were wrapped up and could only provide slow ball to backs that were sterile on an unhelpful pitch.

Nevertheless, Farnham battled forward but it was not to be their day. They made too many mistakes and were often outmuscled at the breakdown. However, two penalties in a ten-minute period brought the score up to 7-6 – the second awarded for a knocked-down pass which had it been completed may well have seen Farnham over for a try.

The yellow card brought the Hampshire boys to 14 men as the game entered a frenetic end-to-end final 20 minutes – the Farnham faithful holding their breath and the many Winchester supporters crossing their fingers.

Another breakout by Michael Salmon, driven on by Azevado, began an extraordinary passage of play. Salmon’s inside pop pass to Jones was snaffled by the Winchester winger Tolan who made 50 metres before returning the favour to Farnham’s Reece Stennett. Seven more times the ball changed sides in a hectic, topsy-turvy passage of play. But with the clock running down, Winchester slowed things down to protect their slender lead and simply kept the ball until scrum half Breen hoofed the ball out of play to signal the end of proceedings.

No unbeaten fairytale ending for Farnham this Christmas with Winchester well-deserved winners – albeit by a single point.