Farnham fell to a 29-7 defeat at Tunbridge Wells in Regional One South Central.

The home team kicked off and Farnham looked for a fast start. They did exactly that when Jonny Vincent snapped up a loose ball and broke several tackles before being stopped on the Tunbridge 22. Farnham kept the ball well, edging closer to the line with Shawa Rai being stopped just short, however Matt Kouris was on hand to power over for the first try of the game.

Farnham were attacking well and putting together some strong phases. A good counter-attack saw Toby Simmons break through and beat several defenders, however his offload didn’t quite go to hand. A kick to the corner presented Farnham with another opportunity ten metres out, but the throw was too long.

The hosts finally got into the game and made Farnham pay for their missed chances when a lineout move saw their hooker breakthrough and score under the posts. A rolling maul from a lineout then saw Tunbridge Wells score their second try in the corner.

A penalty on half-time gave the hosts a chance to extend their lead, however that was missed and the score remained 14-7 at the break.

Farnham looked to get on the ball after the break. Alex Young broke through into the 22, however his offload couldn’t quite find Simmons as another opportunity went begging.

Farnham were made to pay when the hosts broke down the left-hand side and remained patient in attack to break down the Farnham defence for their third try.

A yellow card to Marco Azevedo made Farnham’s task harder, with the Tunbridge fly half knocking over three points to extend the home side’s lead. The hosts got their bonus-point try with five minutes remaining to run out 29-7 winners.

Farnham will host Maidenhead on Saturday, November 22.

By Toby Salmon