With their First Team league action finished until the New Year, Fakenham had only the away game against Lowestoft and Yarmouth to play to finish off their own first part of the season. The game started at a frantic pace with Fakenham seeming to just have the better of the action, although if a try by Steven Clay, who actually ended up wrapped around the opposition post with the ball between him and the post, had not been inexplicably disallowed by the referee it would have been a really good opening by the visitors. Fakenham continued to show dominance especially with their backs and Lowestoft seemed to have little answer to the speed. The actual opening score came after 10 minutes when Fakenham's Jonathon Kettle had a good run down the right wing to score near the corner with the conversion being slotted over by Lloyd Marshall. The restart saw one of the better moves from Lowestoft with some deep penetration into the visitors half but the Fakenham defense was excellent and eventually repelled the attack. The game settled down into a pattern of neither side really having the advantage and it only when Toby Betts broke through on the 30 minute mark that Fakenham had their second sore on the board, the conversion was once again accurately kicked by Lloyd Marshall to take the score to 0-14. The next 10 minutes saw more pressure being applied by Fakenham resulting in replacement Jack Whiteside having a good run down the wing to score a good solo try and Fakenham's third. For once Lloyd Marshall missed the conversion, meaning the visitors went into half time with the score at 0-19.
Lowestoft came into the second half determined to close down the speedy Fakenham backs (having eventually realized that if the ball went wide to the backs they had a problem!) and their defense became noticeably more physical with a determination to not allow the visitors the ball which resulted in somewhat of a stalemate with neither side showing any dominance. The pattern of play carried on for almost 25 minutes of the second half until Fakenham's hooker Rory Singleton broke through the Lowestoft defense by sheer determination to score under the posts for Fakenham's fourth try, ensuring them of a bonus point, with the conversion again being kicked by Lloyd Marshall. Lowestoft mounted a good run from the restart, which caught the Fakenham defense napping, and they scored a well deserved converted try under the posts to bring the score back to 7-26. By now the light was going and with 5 minutes to go Lloyd Marshall had an almost unopposed run down the wing to score under the posts and make his conversion easier, 7-33. Waiting for the final whistle Fakenham had completely switched off allowing Lowestoft a final try almost on the whistle and the easy conversion was missed which probably summed up Lowestoft's day!
The result was one that the Fakenham side can be proud of and takes them to the lead of the Division although the second and third teams do have a game in hand and it looks as though it will be an interesting New Year