Farnham Royal RFC 13 - Phoenix RFC 24

Farnham Royal tasted derby-day defeat against local rivals Phoenix in their first game of the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Championship after going down 24-13 at Farnham Park on Saturday.

Fixtures between these two teams are typically feisty affairs and this game was no exception, with both sets of forwards eager to hammer home an early advantage.

The Phoenix pack – so dominant in recent weeks – was relatively muted against a physical and fired-up opposition and despite some early territorial pressure it was the home side who scored the first points of the game courtesy of a penalty kick slotted by flyhalf Alex King.

In a cagey first half the two sides traded a number of kickable penalties, with Phoenix having the boot of Jay Henderson to thank for a 9-6 halftime advantage.

The game burst into life in the second half with a flurry of tries. First over the whitewash was Phoenix player-coach Tony Porter, who crashed over from close range after several phases.

However, Farnham Royal were quick to seize back momentum and responded with a try of their own after patient build-up play saw King bludgeon his way over from five meters. The flyhalf converted the score to put the home side within touching distance at 13-14.

This served as a wake-up call to a sub-par Phoenix, whose one-dimensional play had left their coaches exasperated for much of the game. The decision to finally spread the ball into the wide channels paid almost instant dividends with tries for scrumhalf Dave Harris and winger John Henry Kelly.

With just minutes left on the clock Farnham Royal’s scrumhalf was shown the red card after unleashing a verbal volley at the referee.

Elsewhere, Phoenix II suffered a heavy home defeat to a strong Bracknell IV side, eventually going down 15-54.

Phoenix I entertain Harwell next week, while Phoenix II face an away game against Thatcham III.