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Typical aggression from Mike Salmon as he draws in more than his fair share of defenders. Mike enjoyed (or should that be "endured"?) his 150th 1st team start last Saturday. The match was a disappointment in many respects - not least the final score - but Mike epitomises the loyalty to the club and the pride in the shirt that pervades and sustains the Senior Men's squad - almost all of whom are set to play at Monkton Lane this coming Saturday.

Make the most of "Big Saturday"

This Saturday afternoon, all four pitches will host a game. The Warriors have Kingston 2nds, the Barbarians have Southampton 2nds while the Vikings and the 1sts entertain our old friends from Battersea Ironsides. And then we have England v Australia on the big screens. What a feast of rugby!

Why not kick off with a feast of a different order by joining us for the Supporters Lunch beforehand. We'll gather at 12.45pm to sit at 1.00pm ready for the kick off at 2.30pm. Please drop a note to chairman@farnhamrugby.org to book your seat(s).

Entry into a £15 raffle affords the diner a lovely hot lunch followed by cheese and coffee. The invitation is extended to all members, friends and supporters.

This lunch and the match are sponsored by our new First XV Pitch sponsors, Oak Tree and Acorn - purveyors of fabulous home- and giftware. See their advert at the end of this edition and note the 10% discount for members - Christmas is coming!

Meanwhile, the lads will be raising money for Movember, so rootle about in your pockets, behind the sofa etc for those bits of change to bring with you. With a man taking his own life every minute of every day, every penny counts!

Movember is a charity that is very important to us at Farnham Rugby Club. We have been raising money for the charity for years. This year we aim to go even better than last year, raising a total of £30,000 for the charity. Movember is a charity that helps mens physical and mental issues, including mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

On Saturday we'll be wearing warm up shirts with a combined logo with Battersea Ironsides, as they are also a top fundraising group for Movember. We seem to go toe-to-toe with them each year on the rugby pitch and the charity side of our clubs. Our warm up tops are there to raise awareness of the charity to everyone down to support us on the day, and also to everyone who sees our pictures on social media. Please feel free to give generously to the cause either at the bar, or https://movember.com/t/farnham-rufc, or by scanning the QR at the bottom of this edition.

On Sunday the Falcons were convincing winners (64-13) in their first league game of the season - the previous three having been postponed by the opposition. Hats off to Newbury Rams who pitched up with a injury-depleted side - so a match of 12-a-side was played. Our girls obviously made best use of the space!

On Sunday, our U13 girls (above) put their scrummaging skills to good use to set up multiple try scoring opportunities in their two matches against Trojans at Eastleigh. The U15s and U18s also made the trip and both teams had their first taste of playing a full 15-a-side game - and acquitted themselves well by all accounts at a club that, according to the coaching team, "were the perfect hosts."

That we can put out such sides is a result both of the growing popularity of the girls' game and the quality of coaching at Farnham. Sustaining that quality is essential. No less than seven Farnham Girls section coaches attended the England Coaching Award Course (formerly known as Level 2 and vital for those coaching the 15-a-side game) at LWC last week.

Thank you for your commitment:
Cara Chambers & Matt Carter - U11 Girls Coaches
Christina Balsom, Jo Sweales & Martin Dawson - U13 Girls Coaches
Lucy Thompson & Charlie Mason - U18 Girls Coaches

Our U15s boys are up fast and flat in defence in their Waterfall Cup match against Rosslyn Park on their Priory Road artificial surface. This RP age group is unbeaten over the last three seasons. Our lads held them to a 12-12 draw. Well done!

County Honours await our Academy boys

From 120 players originally put forward in each county, the following players have been called back to train with the squads prior to final selection..

Hampshire
Max Williams
Jake Silvester
Ethan Payne
Tobias Trafford

Surrey
Joe Brockman
Henry Wormwell
Callum Jones

Jack Benelmans had been given an immediate Surrey u18 call up as flanker.

Congratulations to these boys and commiserations to those not selected. Your time will come. Either way, for a club to field eight players at county level from a single squad well illustrates the strength and depth of our Junior Section.

Thanks to all for the fireworks

Those that were there will attest that once again the team that laid on the fireworks - led by John Wickens and Dominic Parker - yet again smashed it on Saturday night. We all owe a big debt of gratitude to the small army that guided us to the parking, manned the gates, served the drinks and marshalled the sizeable crowd.

I was somewhat saddened - and simultaneously delighted - by a conversation I had with a gentleman at the food counter. He was clad in a high-viz jacket and I recognized him from the entrance. I thanked him for his efforts and asked where he - or his children - played in the club. I was somewhat taken aback by the response. He is not a member, but the neighbour of a junior team coach who persuaded him to help.

It is great to know there are folk out there willing to give their time to the club even if they have little to do with it (and that we have coaches capable of urging individuals to do things they might not otherwise do). But it is sad to think that we cannot find enough hands from within the membership to mind our own business.