DORKING 31 CANTERBURY 7
by David Haigh
Canterbury were blown away in the second half at windswept Dorking. In a game of a remarkable eight yellow cards they failed to push home their dominance when wind and slope worked in their favour and a narrow 7-5 half time lead never looked enough. The home side, who put in a tremendous defensive shift when down to thirteen players in the early stages, made no mistake when they had the advantage and emphasised their control after the break with four tries. Canterbury’s early dominance of territory, and two Dorking men in the sin bin, gave them the opportunity to build a meaningful lead. However, their persistence in attacking on a narrow front and an excellent defence confined them to single try from Number Eight Tyler Oliver, converted by Frank Reynolds. Putting more faith in the back division might have paid better dividends but the only other scoring chance was a failed penalty shot. Dorking not only survived but shortly before half time produced a try of their own with full back Max Coyle making the running before Tom Hardwick got the touchdown. They were quickly on the attack in the second half and a yellow card for Olly Frostick, Canterbury’s second at this point, cost them a penalty and a close range try from Will Scholes, converted by Hardwick. Once they were in front Dorking tightened their grip as they dominated the set scrums and denied the city side any real momentum. They set their backs free to create a try for wing Will Sanders and renewed forward pressure won a penalty try when Canterbury collapsed a maul on their own line. There was one small glimpse of redemption for the city side but a desperate ankle tap denied Tom Wiliiams a score before they conceded a converted try to Tom Howe in the last play of the game. It left a disappointing Canterbury not only counting the cost of a defeat that sent them down to ninth place in the National 2 East table but also a mounting injury list after losing centre Harry Sloan in the first half.
CANTERBURY: L.Talbot, G.Jones, H.Sloan, W.Waddington, H.Furneaux, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, D.Huntley, E.O’Donoghue, O.Frostick, C.McGovern, J.Stephens, J.Walker, R.Thomas, T.Oliver. Replacements C.Macmillan, A.English, L.Young, J.Dengate, H.Kenny
MATCH PREVIEW
I’ve said it before – there are only good teams in our league and every week presents a different challenge. Against Westcombe Park we certainly rode our luck at times and they will feel they left chances behind at Merton Lane. But what mattered was that the players found a way to put another win in the bank.
The team never gave up and when we needed to be ruthless we were. The clearest example of this was our work inside their twenty-two: three visits, three tries. Over recent seasons we’ve been on the receiving end of that level of clinical finishing. To be on the other side of it shows how the players have built an understanding of how vital it is to do the right thing at the right time.
I also have to highlight the lads’ defensive effort. Westcombe Park’s final try came from a cross-field kick, but the defensive set that preceded it lasted three minutes and eighteen seconds. To put that into perspective, most teams in this league would do well to hold out for half that time. The fact that our players doubled it shows just how much representing this club means to them. As coaches we can give the players technical input, but they bring their own desire to the table. When it hurts you’ve got two choices – and this group consistently chooses to dig in for each other and go to difficult places to fight for wins.
Last season’s win at Dorking was a big moment for this squad, and it took a performance of equal size to achieve it. Judging by Dorking’s social media, they’ve had this fixture circled since preseason. We know exactly what it will take to repeat last year’s result – and these are the exciting games every player wants to be part of.
The Pilgrims return to action this weekend after a short break, hosting Brighton at home. Injuries are starting to mount across the squad but the depth and ambition of our group mean we can still put out a determined, competitive side. New faces continue to put their hands up and I’m excited to see them take another step forward this weekend.
MATT CORKER, HEAD COACH