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Another For The Road
WIMBLEDON 36 CANTERBURY 52
by David Haigh
Canterbury are proving to be the traveling men of National 2 East as they registered their fifth win on the road in a breathless affair which produced fourteen tries. As one of only three games in the league to survive the January freeze the action was red hot from the start and it was lowly Wimbledon, shock winners at Canterbury earlier this season, who struck the early blows and gave notice that once again they were going to be a handful. After going fourteen points behind in the first eight minutes to two converted tries by scrum half Tim Ridler the city side got a handle on things but at the end of a frantic first half, in which both sides scored four tries, they were still two points behind. It was the third quarter that proved pivotal to Canterbury’s success in an impressive spell which brought three tries and opened a decisive nineteen point lead. After those early warnings from a side that thrives on attack, Canterbury started to exploit Wimbledon’s defensive shortcomings. They opened gaps in mid-field to telling effect and tries by Eoin O’Donoghue, two from Will Waddington plus a Frank Reynolds conversion edged them into the lead. The city side were, however, guilty of giving up ball in contact and the hosts turned that possession into tries for Brad Fincham and their clever fly half Ed Morgan who added another conversion. It was a neat off-load from Reynolds to guide Jesse De Vries over between the posts for a converted try that narrowed the gap three minutes before the break When Canterbury came out for the second half they decided enough was enough. Four minutes in and wing Garry Jones, always looking for work, peeled off the side of a maul to touch down and soon got a second try. It was the best of the day as Canterbury stole a lineout in their own 22 metre area, spread the ball wide and Jones finished a move that went the length of the field. Scrum half Ben Cooper, with his second touch after coming off the bench, got the seventh try as Wimbledon were split open and with three Reynolds conversions the city side were in control. They were detained briefly with a score from home wing Tom Pozniak and late in the game, as Canterbury eased down, Wimbledon added a try by Devlin Hope from a fine driving maul. Before that score Alfie Orris sent three defenders bouncing off him as he, together with Reynolds’ sixth conversion, completed a five point Canterbury haul.
Canterbury: W.Waddington, G.Jones, F.Morgan, T.Best, A.Orris, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, E.Lusher, N.Morris, D.Herriott, J.De Vries, J.Stephens, A.Evans, C.Murray, T.Oliver. Replacements: E. O’Donoghue, D.Huntley, B.Law, B.Cooper, S.Rogers
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