Winchester, displaying pace and panache, scored eight unanswered tries beating Chobham by 50 points to nil in front of a large crowd who attended the sold-out fund-raising President’s Day lunch.

The guest speaker, International referee Wayne Barnes, praised the club’s work in the community, citing President Rob Sanderson’s stirring work to raise £8k for local charities by cycling, in appalling weather, to each club in the league, over three hundred miles in the three days before the match.

Winchester’s intentions were evident right from kick-off. Following a break by Number 8, Jacob Culley-Wison inside Winchester’s half, slick inter-passing between backs and forwards led to scrum-half Tom Fieldsend scoring. Stand-off, Tommy Hare converted.

Twenty minutes later, another break by winger ‘Fozzy’ Forster, whose elusive running caused problems for Chobham throughout the match, off-loaded to Full-back Josh Tolan, to score Winchester’s second try. Hare missed the conversion.

Yet another line break by skipper Matt Golding led to winger Rhys Thomas scoring out wide. Hare nailed the conversion, bringing the score to 19 - 0.

Winchester earned their bonus point when the elusive Forster jinked over the line. Hare missed the conversion. On the stroke of half-time, another break by Culley-Wilson ended with Tolan going over wide out. Hare kicked the difficult conversion, bringing the score to 31 - 0 at half-time.

Dogged Chobham thwarted Winchester’s all-court game for the first fifteen minutes of the second half but eventually succumbed. Culley-Wilson powered his way over their line in characteristic style. Hare’s conversion attempt sailed just wide of the posts.

Winchester maintained their intensity in the last quarter of the match. Man of the match, Rhys Thomas, scored two tries, the first after cutting inside, wrong-footing the entire Chobham defence. Hare converted.  

Thomas’s hat-trick try was a thing of beauty. Picking up the ball from deep inside his half, he displayed breathtaking pace and power to outstrip the cover defence, much to the acclaim of the huge crowd. Hare converted, bringing the fifty up.

Winchester remain third in the league, four points behind the leaders, Tottonians, who they play in four weeks. With the highest points for and having the least points against, leaking just four tries in four matches, Winchester will fancy their chances to go top of the table.

Enhancing this memorable day, all four Winchester teams won. Halcyon days!  Coach Gaz Martin said after the match, ‘What’s impressed me most is how our former academy players and the new signings have merged into a cohesive unit, exemplified by their intensity and commitment in training. There’s real competition for selection now.’

Winchester’s next match is away to Bournemouth on October 12.