Farnham Town beat ten-man Badshot Lea 3-0 at Westfield Lane in the eagerly-anticipated Coxbridge derby on Easter Monday to claim the local bragging rights – and complete the double over their rivals this season.

The key moment came after five minutes of the Combined Counties Premier Division South clash – when Baggies’ left-back Nick Medcraft was shown a straight red card for an elbow on Farnham’s Owen Dean.

Shamal Edwards had Town’s best chance of the first half when his close-range effort hit the bar, but Badshot Lea’s ten men got to the break level at 0-0.

The game was paused briefly late in the first half because of a hail storm, but the conditions improved in the second period.

The visitors took the lead in the 52nd minute through Richie Mbele’s shot, and Edwards made it 2-0 on 63 minutes when he tapped home after Lewis Flatman’s effort hit the post. Bradley Kauzeni completed the scoring in the 69th minute when his cross-shot flew into the back of the net.

Badshot Lea co-manager Gavin Smith felt the early dismissal of Medcraft proved decisive.

“Having played on Saturday, the last thing you want is to go down to ten men,” he said.

“We felt we needed to try to keep it to 0-0, because we didn’t want to go chasing anything.

“I saw the incident. Was it a red card? I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t think he’s elbowed him. I think he’s gone to lean into him and he’s gone down and he’s caught him. It was a big call after five minutes. We’ve got to suck up the decision, but I thought we did well for the first 45.

“The first goal is always going to change it. If we get it, it’s going to give us that impetus to hold on, but if they get it it’s tough.

“It was damage limitation in the end, because they are good going forward.”

Farnham Town manager Paul Johnson was in no doubt about Medcraft’s red card.

“Their full-back has cost them massively – it was a stupid elbow,” said Johnson. “He’s flung his elbow. There’s no arguing it.

“Owen did him early on down the outside. He looked like he was going to do him again and he’s flung his elbow out. It’s silly. That didn’t help their cause.

“I thought the conditions, if they stayed like they were, levelled it out a little bit. It’s so easy in those conditions to do something stupid and give the referee the chance to try to even it up – because they do try to even it up – and we had to be careful of that.

“When we came out for the second half the wind had dropped and it suited us massively.

“I thought the boys were really good in the second half. We got our rewards.”