Published: Thursday, 26th April, 2007 10:27am

Narrow win sets up Royal title decider

by Sportsdesk

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Berks, Bucks & Oxon Division One South

Oxford Harlequins 3s 6, Farnham Royal 7

FARNHAM Royal Rugby Club set up a crunch title-decider against Bracknell 3s tomorrow (Saturday) after a narrow victory in their penultimate game of the season.

The South Buckinghamshire side squeezed out a 7-6 win with 14 men against Oxford Harlequins last weekend to leave them level on points with top-of-the table Bracknell going into the decisive match.

Bracknell currently have a superior goal difference so Royal need a win to be crowned champions. This will underline a very successful season for the side that were relegated from the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier Division last year.

Royal started Saturday's game on the front foot with some strong work from the pack and great direct running from a back line that has grown more confident as the season has gone on.

Harlequins could not seem to get out of their own half through a mixture of great defence from Royal and some poor tactical kicking that was continually punished by stand-in full back Dean Rogers, who was far more accurate with the boot.

The first opportunity for points came for Ed Haslett from a penalty, but his kick at goal rebounded off the post.

As the game moved towards half-time, Royal's dominant Alex Moffat took a line out on the home 22 and the pack drove on. Scrum-half, James, fed Ed Haslett who dummied a pass inside before breaking the line and crashing under the posts from just inside the 22, leaving an easy conversion to give a 7-0 lead.

The second period was a hard-fought affair and Oxford hit back when Greg

Pearce was sent off and the home side kicked their first points of the day.

Being down to 14 men put some extra steel into the Royal defence and they managed to limit the chasing home side to pot shots from distance. With only one of these kicks successful, Royal held out for the vital win.

Royal travel to Lilly Hill Drive, Bracknell, for the final game of the season tomorrow (Saturday) at 2.30pm.

FARNHAM ROYAL: Fiore, Clarke, Stewart, Moffat, Hancox, Pearce, Alsen, Gravette, James, Haslet, Sackey, Ingles, Mapeta, Ngaru, Rogers. SUBS: Woods, Whelan, Keough.

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