Farnborough defeated on the road after Winchester’s strong start
FARNBOROUGH lost 50-21 to Winchester III in Hampshire Merit Counties 4B on Saturday.
Winchester, playing at home, came out stronger from the start with great passing play – fast passes allowing them to play wide.
The referee was a stickler for the laws and high tackles were frequently called, the first against Farnborough, resulting in a 5m lineout and drive for their first try after 18 minutes of play.
Winchester built on their dominance getting them to 31-0, while Farnborough collected two yellow cards and were down to 13 men for a few minutes. When Daniel Beers-Baker returned to the pitch, he made a great charge to the line, narrowly falling short, but Aaron Poynter finished off for Farnborough’s first try.
After the break, Beers-Baker went off after a knock to the head giving Winchester the advantage in the forwards, Farnborough without a front row replacement. Winchester played well, making another two tries, but a determined Farnborough came back stronger, Winchester getting their own yellow for an unbound tackle. Farnborough’s captain Kyle Langley scored under the posts. Six minutes from full time a series of penalties allowed Farnborough to put enough pressure on to allow Aaron Poynter a try, stretching over the line to finish.
But, it wasn’t enough for the win and the bonus point was denied to Farnborough.
Langley was awarded man of the match by his teammates for his contribution during the game. A sterling effort, bringing pressure to second in the table Winchester who have only lost once this season.