Brave challenge of Farmor's School ends at Henley (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Brave challenge of Farmor's School ends at Henley

HENLEY College proved the end of the line for the brave challenge of Fairford's Farmor's School in the Daily Mail Vase.

Gloucester's last representative travelled with a strong squad to Henley College on January 15, aiming to progress further in thus national competition.

Rhys Hubbard-Miles kicked off for Farmor's on a sunny afternoon with the Thames running along 50 metres behind their dead-ball line.

Within five minutes, the visitors realised they were in for a hard contest as the Henley backs quickly created an overlap on the left wing.

Desperate defence from the away team broke the move down on their own 22 metre.

The pressure continued and only determined tackling from the backline of Gubb, Upton, Knowles, Hagues and Gee kept the dangerous Henley backs from scoring.

After this initial onslaught, the Farmor's pack, superbly lead by skipper Paul Medford, gradually began to make it a contest.

A breakaway from their own 22m ended in a penalty awarded to Farmors' in their rivals' 22m.

Scrum-half Knight took it quickly and beat several men before tackles on the line prevented a score.

After the break, Peter Sloan and Nathan Challenor made life difficult for their hosts in the front row and were ably supported by Wickins, Collins, Wharry, Swantson, Mason and Keen.

From consecutive five-metre scrums, two Henley clearance kicks were charged down.

First Peter Mason just failed to cross the line and then Keen dived on a loose ball, but was adjudged to have failed to apply downward pressure.

Four penalties for technical infringements against Farmor's resulted in Henley kicking three points to take a 6-3 lead.

Farmor's responded immediately when Knowles kicked a penalty and, with 15 minutes of the game left, the score was tied at three points apiece.

With the match on a knife-edge, both sides put everything into it in a cleanly contested affair.

Much of the play was in the Henley half, but their backs always posed a problem, until one breakaway left full-back Tom Denholm with a one-on-one.

His tackle was first class, although it resulted in a head wound. Sam Walker replaced Denholm and, with ten minutes left, the match was still 3-3.

With one minute to go, Farmor's knew that as the away team they would go through to the next round and replacements Edward Hagues, James Giles, Freddy De Giles, Tiro and Ollie Birt watched on anxiously.

However a knock-on just outside their 22-metre was adjudged to be deliberate and the referee awarded a penalty which the Henley player calmly kicked.

This left Farmor's no time to respond as final whistle arrived all too soon.

Both teams were congratulated by the referee on a hard fought but clean contest that reflected positively on both schools.