In a fiercely contested match, with both teams defending their unbeaten record this season, Winchester scrum-half, Tom Fieldsend, converted a try with the last kick of the match from wide out to share the spoils.
After eight frantic minutes, Winchester opened their account following a break from inside their own half by centre, Harri Thomas. He set up full-back, Josh Tolan, returning from a season-long injury, who raced over to score under the posts. Fieldsend converted.
For the rest of the half, Farnham mounted attack after attack. Resolute tackling and defiant runs by Winchester’s captain, Matt Golding, kept them at bay. However, the referee pinged Winchester for a series of offences with dire consequences for the away side. Farnham’s fly-half and captain, Toby Salmon, kicked six penalties, and the referee showed an inevitable yellow card to Winchester’s hooker, Jimmy Wallis, for a ‘no arms tackle.
Sandwiched between Salmon’s scores, Fieldsend converted a penalty for Winchester, taking the score to 18 - 10 to Farnham at half-time.
Winchester sped out of the blocks in the second half and were rewarded with a penalty for a high tackle, converted by Fieldsend. Farnham now produced their best spell of the match. Following a rolling maul and several phases close to Winchester’s line, Farnham’s number 8, Oscar Henderson, scored despite courageous tackling. Salmon converted, extending their lead to 25 - 13.
With ten minutes remaining, Winchester upped their intensity. Bullocking runs by prop, Alex Lee and second-rower, Jacob Cully-Wilson, set up centre, Alex Mawdsley, who was dragged down five metres from the Farnham line. He off-loaded to winger, ‘Fozzy’ Forster, who darted over. Fieldsend missed the conversion, but with the score at 25.18 to Farnham, Winchester supporters believed they might get something out of the game.
Deep into injury time, Winchester’s fly-half, Gregg Sullivan, kicked out of defence to within thirty metres of Farnham’s line. Farnham infringed at the lineout. Fieldsend kicked for touch, edging them to within ten metres.
With the last move of the match, Winchester won their line out, and the ball fell to substitute Connor Breen, who put winger, Rhys Thomas, over in the corner, bringing the score to 25 - 23. Man of the match, Fieldsend sent his kick over the posts to square the result, much to the delight of the Winchester players and supporters.
After the game, coach Gaz Martin said, ‘Farnham are an excellent side. They’ll threaten every team this season, so it’s a good result for us away from home.’
Winchester dropped to third in the league, with Farnham in fourth position on points difference.
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