Fawley U16s faced Farnborough in their first match of 2023 at home in front of their usual crowd of loyal supporters today. The visitors brought a healthy 21 lads to the match but unfortunately after a spate of recent injuries, Fawley lads were down to just 16. The ref blew the whistle for kick off shortly after 11:30 and Fawley were on it from the start. The home side knew they had their work cut out today as Farnborough are 2 divisions above our lads, so they knew that it would be a difficult contest, let alone with only 1 sub on the side at one time.

However, the boys definitely rose to the challenge. From the off every member of the team put in 100% effort and the lads managed to hold the score at 0-0 for the first 20 minutes of the game, quite the impressive start. Farnborough were rewarded for their attacking stance however, and a converted try put the first scores on the board, which was repeated 5 minutes later when an attempted kick out bounced on the chest of the opposition and the ball trickled over the line, where they just managed to touch it down... 0-14.

Fawley came back after the restart and a lovely series of passes got the ball out to Philip Lalauvaki who assuredly put the ball over the line. Unfortunately this was not converted but the scores were now 5-14 at half time.

The second half kicked off with another valiant start from the home side. Dylan Lucas was enjoying a good game at full back, assured under the high ball and made more than 1 try saving tackle as the game progressed. Play was even-handed as the game continued with excellent Fawley lineouts and good pace with the ball. Fawley were able to hold up one potential Farnborough try after 15 minutes of back and forth play, showing great resilience as the visitors piled on the pressure. It was not enough to prevent another 2 tries from Farnborough however, and after 2 successful conversions, the game ended 5-28 to the away side.

Wyatt Davis and Max Broomfield deserve special mention today after an unfortunate collision with each other off a Farnborough tackle. As they both headed off to hospital for a bit of patching up they still had smiles on their faces and both clearly enjoyed the game. That attitude sums up how far these young players have come in the last couple of years. The maturity and way the Fawley players approach the game has changed immeasurably and it is to their credit that the boys show this great strength of character and togetherness with every match they play.

As Head Coach Darron Mayhew summarised, "it is always disappointing to lose, but the scoreline does not reflect how close the game was. Outnumbered, outsized, but not outplayed".

As both teams enjoyed their lunch, Max Belson was named man of the match by the opposition. With the Clubhouse getting tantalisingly close to being completed, the Junior side of this Club has everything to play for, from the very youngest players, through to our fantastic U16s.