Guildford Rugby Club
Bruising encounter for Guildford
Guildford 0 –32 Chobham
Broadwater Park
22nd November 2025
Bruising encounter for Guildford
Team: 1 Joe Meade, 2 Coby Coy, 3 Jon Karimian, 4 Alex Burrill (C) 5 Matt Naeem, 6 Ollie Millward, 7 Josh Jones, 8 Josh Smith, 9 Liam Driscoll, 10 Joe Gwyther, 11 Alex Jordan, 12, Ollie Fielder 13 Christian King 14 Louis Bounds, 15 Will Craven
Replacements: 16 Ross Brooker, 17 Jamie Curtis, 18 Ben King
In relentless, near-apocalyptic conditions at Broadwater Park, Guildford suffered a bruising afternoon as they fell 0-32 to local rivals Chobham, a scoreline that starkly reflected a performance well below the club’s standards.
Selection disruption once again loomed large, with 12 changes from the previous outing. There was, however, some welcome news in the return of Ollie Fielder after a lengthy injury layoff. Josh Smith and captain Alex Burrill also rejoined the side after several weeks’ absence, while brothers Ben and Christian King took to the field together for the first time in a couple of seasons.
Yet from the opening whistle, Guildford struggled to impose themselves. In contrast, the visitors displayed cohesion, energy and purpose, outplaying the home side in every department. Chobham controlled the early exchanges, aided by Guildford’s ill-discipline, particularly at scrum and breakdown, where penalties were conceded with alarming regularity.
Chobham opened their account after just six minutes, opting for the posts following another infringement. Ten minutes later, the pressure told again as they crossed for the afternoon’s first converted try, stretching the lead to 0–10. To their credit, Guildford defended gamely, with their rearguard efforts preventing further damage despite the visitors’ dominance up front.
As the downpour intensified, Chobham struck again just before the break with an unconverted try, deepening the gloom around Broadwater.
Half-time: Guildford 0–15 Chobham
Hopes of a second-half resurgence were short-lived. The pattern of the opening 40 minutes quickly reasserted itself, Chobham adding a converted try and a penalty within ten minutes of the restart. A further converted score five minutes from time sealed a fully deserved victory for the visitors.
Guildford, by contrast, appeared flat and short of spark, with only a brief lift in tempo when replacements entered the fray. At no point did the home side genuinely threaten the Chobham line.
The past fortnight has seen dramatic changes in personnel, and at times the side played like strangers. Passion was in short supply, and frustration began to spill over, with backchat to the referee resulting in repeated marches back of ten metres, further compounding the pressure.
The one comfort sport reliably offers is the chance to put things right next time out. Guildford will need more than a week to address the issues that have emerged, but the moment has arrived for senior figures within the squad to lead the recovery.
Next weekend brings no respite, with a challenging trip to Wimbourne, who have enjoyed an impressive campaign and are pushing for a top-three finish. Guildford will need to summon every ounce of resolve if they are to take anything from the fixture.
Full-time: Guildford 0–32 Chobham
Mike Burden
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