Farnham 67 - Salisbury 7
A depleted Salisbury XV travelled to Farnham on Saturday to complete the first half of the Regional 2 South Central fixtures schedule. They struggled to contain the hosts throughout the match and finished on the receiving end of a 67 – 7 defeat.
There was no doubt that Farnham were the stronger side. They were well-balanced, with pace in their backs and forwards who combined well to continually stress Salisbury’s defence. That said, the fixture was not as one-sided as the scoreline suggests. Salisbury’s committed tackling and a willingness to spin the ball wide whenever an opportunity arose made for an entertaining afternoon.
Salisbury conceded 36 unanswered points during the first half and made matters unnecessarily difficult for themselves. Some wayward kicking and a failure to convert penalties to points or pressure enabled Farnham to maintain the upper hand. But Credit to Salisbury for adapting to numerous absences due to injury and player non-availability. Half backs Jacques Kinnison and Aaron Hold functioned efficiently and James Kennedy’s powerful running from the backrow regularly broke through Farnham’s defence. He was a constant thorn in their side.
The visitors started the second half positively. After conceding a try on 45 minutes they rallied and placed the Farnham under sustained pressure. The hosts were reduced to 14 men after being awarded a yellow card in the 57th minute which Salisbury exploited when they attacked from a scrummage for Tom Ranaboldo to muscle his way over. Hold added the extras and the scoreline was 43 – 7 as the match entered the final quarter. Farnham then recovered their stride and were able to run in a further four tries to closeout the match.
Salisbury will host Guildford next weekend Castle Road.
Pictured Jacques Kinnison (home page) and Aaron Hold courtesy of John Palmer
