6 tries in the final quarter of the match saw London Cornish reclaim top spot in London 2 South-West, and condemn London 3 South-West Champions Farnham to bottom spot for the first time this season. The blitz turned the match on its head as the exiles had turned around with a 3-0 deficit.

The visitors made just 1 change from the side victorious the previous week, fly half Phil Dale making his first start of the season having recovered from an op during the summer, Joe Skinnard moving to full back and Nigel Johnston to the bench. Cornish played into a strong wind on an immaculate surface at the hosts new Monkton Lane HQ. A purpose built club house and 4 sizeable pitches will ensure Farnham have the facilities to match clubs many leagues above for decades. Dominating the early exchanges following a Luke Spells break put them in decent field position, the exiles found a series of ways of coughing up possession when well placed, and through a mixture of good defence and good fortune, Farnham survived the opening 15 minutes. When they did launch their first attack of note, they very nearly scored, a poor kick and kick chase giving room for the home centre to break away and only a fine covering tackle by no 8 Mark Osei-Tutu and steal on the floor by open side Ciaran Acford stemming the tide. 5 minutes later, the home side landed a penalty from hands in a ruck just outside the exiles 22. Bouyed but their success, the Surrey side went wide and this time it was a fine tackle by full back Joe Skinnard saving the day. With Cornish having the home tight V under real pressure, and lock Harry Somers gradually getting to grips with the home lineout, Farnham finally decided to use the wind at their backs to gain field position, but were pinged for offside at the kick. Cornish won a series of penalties down the left hand flank, but lost lineouts in the strong wind for the danger to be cleared. Further breaks by hooker Will Carew-Gibbs, Skipper Dave Theobald and Spells kept the pressure on, but Farnham held strong and the half finished with the hosts 3-0 up.

Now with the wind at their backs, Cornish relentlessly applied pressure to the home set pieces from the off in the 2nd half, only a poor pass preventing a score in the 41st minute following the first of many lineout steals by Somers in the second 40. 2 minutes later, Dale sent scrum half Rob Healey away down the blind side but a fine covering tackle drove him into touch a metre out. Unable to clear their lines, Farnham lost the lead 60 seconds later when lock Ben Ievers broke a tackle and offloaded on the line for Robin Heymann to touch down. In truth, only the most one eyed exile supporter would have claimed this was a try as the ball was clearly thrown forward, but Cornish have not been awarded a series of tries when over the line this season, so maybe the luck is beginning to even out. The try wasn’t converted but the visitors made a triple change within 5 minutes, Oli Low, Luke Bridges and Nigel Johnston on for Mike Bond, Chris Anstey and Joe Skinnard. Farnham had the opportunity to retake the lead on 52 minutes with a long range penalty, but the attempt flew left and they would not come close to troubling the scoreboard in the match again. On 58, Johnston produced a crunching, driving run to break into the home half. Farnham transgressed on the floor, which provoked a fracas well policed by the exchange referee from Gloucestershire, him likely to have had to deal with plenty of the same in his rugby career to date back home! Cornish kicked the ensuing penalty to the corner, and though Farnham had repelled all attempts at the exiles maul before, a change of tactic at half time quickly undid the home plans, Osei-Tutu unstoppable from close range and crashing over to the left of the maul for an unconverted try. Somers claimed the restart and powered into home territory before Dale launched a kick scrambled into touch on the 22 by a home side audibly showing signs of panic. Two phases later, Dale hit centre Matt Hakes on an arcing run, him beating his man on the outside before stepping the cover and scoring wide left, again the conversion narrowly wide. Now it was Bridges turn to win the restart, and Healey launched a huge kick deep into the home 22. Once again, Somers pinched the Farnham throw to 2, and this time as the ball was worked across the midfield Hakes angled his run the opposite way to beat the cover and score near the posts for a converted try, this landing the bonus point and seeing his side out to a 22-3 lead. The best was to follow on 74 minutes, Healey stealing a ball at a scrum on half way and great hands from the backs sending Heymann away wide right. Stepping his opposite number he approached the full back inside the 22. You had to have sympathy for the lad, for Heymann can step on a sixpence off both feet, and he left the player clutching at thin air as he waltzed past him to cross wide right, Spells again on target with the conversion. Now the home side began to force play, and Spells is a great reader of the game, him intercepting a telegraphed pass on half way to sprint clear and score under the posts, converting his own score. With time almost up, Farnham again threw the ball in their 22, but Ievers pinched it as it pinballed around, Bridges supporting him to drive to 15 out. When the ball was worked blind, it was Somers who was on hand to bounce the final tackler and drive over for a deserved score, this one unconverted. In a balmy 19 minute spell, Cornish had scored 36 points in a fashion not seen since last season, and the icing on the cake was that results elsewhere saw the exiles back on top of London 2 South-West at the end of the day.

Farnham slip to the basement with this defeat, but the battle at the bottom of the league is as wide open as it has been for many a season, so there is plenty of time for them to get things right. Cornish need to take this form into their remaining games in the run up to the Christmas break, and with the entire squad now fully fit bar front row Tim Homan (him around a month away from recovering from his broken foot), there is plenty of competition for places. It will be needed to keep the players on their mettle, for this a league where the only surprise each weekend is if there isn’t a surprise result!