Author: David Haigh

MATCH PREVIEW

When going away to any team, especially one of the top three, having a good start is crucial. Applying enough pressure to force three yellow cards in the opening stages is the definition of a strong start and the players came out of the blocks in challenging conditions to turn the heat up on Dorking.
In that opening quarter we had ample chances to be 21 points ahead but lacked the ruthless edge we showed the previous week, converting our pressure and field position into only a seven-point advantage. That lead was all but nullified in the final play before half-time when a missed tackle allowed Dorking back into the game.
In the second half we lost the scrum battle and couldn’t show the right pictures to the referee, despite the lads best efforts to regain parity. Combined with our inability to maintain possession long enough to rebuild the pressure we had in the first half, Dorking were able to pull away, leaving us with a disappointing final scoreline. Disappointing, but lots of learning.
Tomorrow, Havant visit the Marine Travel Ground, sitting just one place ahead of us in the table. Our focus this week has been on reigniting our attack into the dangerous weapon it has been for us previously. We know the team we are when that part of our game is firing and it’s something we take great pride in.
Regardless of last Saturday’s result, the Pilgrims continue to make improvements in their performances. The group is working hard and the game against Brighton was exactly the kind of challenging fixture we wanted. The players are developing both individually and collectively every week. They head to Bromley tomorrow with a few returning faces, all hungry to secure their first win.

MATT CORKER, HEAD COACH

WELCOME OWEN AND TOM

Two new players are named in the first team squad for the home game against Havant. Owen Hewett (Tonbridge Juddians) and Tom Barton (Blackheath) join us on loan deals to help relieve a growing injury list in the senor squad back division. Centre Harry Sloan is the latest to be ruled out after sustaining a rib injury at Dorking. He joins Alfie Orris, Aden Moss, Frank Morgan and Kurt Heatherley on the sidelines.

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

CANTERBURY 30 WESTCOMBE PARK 23

by David Haigh

A Kent derby that went down to the wire saw Canterbury snatch their third consecutive victory with a try from the last play of the game. That grandstand finish took the city side to fifth place in the National 2 East table but a battling ‘Combe outfit, which has now lost three matches in the final minute, must wonder how they can get across the line. They might have won this one had they not dropped a pass in the closing stages, but failure to exploit three Canterbury yellow cards and crack some excellent defending frustrated them.. A dismal start by Canterbury left them trailing by thirteen points in as many minutes. Failing to secure the kick-off they were swiftly punished with a try from former city centre Kyan Braithwaite. Charlie Fatoma converted and poor discipline presented him with two penalty chances which were duly dispatched. Canterbury had rarely left their own half but on eighteen minutes they produced a classy response. Attacking down the left, Frank Morgan and Harry Sloan handled sweetly before Tom Williams’ pace took him clear to the posts. Frank Reynolds converted and, importantly, never missed another kick at goal all afternoon. A close range try from Combe’s talented scrum half Mikel Davies put them temporarily back in the driving seat but at the break they were ahead by only five points as Reynolds calmly sliced the lead from two penalty chances. He kicked a third a minute into the new half but renewed pressure and an astute cross kick saw Ben Fryatt grab another unconverted score for the visitors. It was the work of a mauling Canterbury pack that brought the scores level, with hooker Eoin O’Donoghue making the touchdown, but in the final quarter they invited trouble when illegal tackles saw Mo Pangarker, Sloan and Williams banished at various stages for ten minutes. ‘Combe, however, missed their opportunity, gave away penalties and late on fourteen man Canterbury took their chance as they set up another powerful attacking maul. At the bottom of the pile as it drove over the line, as so often, was O’Donoghue.

Canterbury: L.Talbot, F.Morgan, H.Sloan, W.Waddington, H.Furneaux, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, L.Young, E.O’Donoghue, O.Frostick, C.McGovern, J.Stephens, R.Thomas, M.Pangarker, T.Oliver. Replacements: J.Walker, C.Macmillan, G.Jones, K.Heatherley, D.Huntley.

MATCH PREVIEEW

The last time we won away at Henley was in 2018. That day, a nineteen-year-old, baby-faced Jamie Stephens played at Number 8. The record shows he received a yellow card for a high tackle. Jamie’s memory of the event is that it was a case of mistaken identity and that Jimmy Green was the real culprit. Knowing Jimmy, there’s probably some degree of truth in that recollection!
Getting results where we haven’t in recent history is the only way we can change the course of our season and show the year-on-year improvement we’re working so hard to achieve. That’s what made last Saturday’s win such an important step forward. It was built on relentless defensive effort and a strong set-piece platform. We know it wasn’t a perfect performance and we came away with some key learnings and work-ons. But the lads’ commitment to the cause and the way they fought their way out of difficult situations is something to be extremely proud of.
The Pilgrims recorded another loss last weekend against Gravesend, who remain unbeaten and sit third in the league. Two of the Pilgrims’ first three games have been against teams in the top four, giving the team a valuable opportunity to learn how the best in the league operate. Performances have improved week on week as they fight to find their rhythm at the new level and this was evident last Saturday as they fought back to claim an important bonus point—their third of the season. The value of these points is clear as they sit ninth in the table, still to play all the teams below them. They enjoy a weekend off before facing Brighton at home next week.
The strength of National 2 is notably higher this season and the 1st XV roll into another exciting and challenging fixture. Westcombe Park visit the Marine Travel Ground on Saturday with a record of one win from three so far. This isn’t the full story, though: they sit level on points with us and just one place behind. They have scored more tries than their opposition in both of their defeats, losing on each occasion in the final play.
This is the second of our back-to-back home derbies, always great occasions as the battle for the title of Kent’s best team plays out. We are focused on taking another step forward and we know we’ll need to be at our best to earn it. A great game awaits — I can’t wait.

MATT CORKER, HEAD COACH

Pilgrims 27 Gravesend 43

by Dan Gill

Pilgrims are still looking for a first victory in Regional 2 but a second half fight back earned them a valuable losing bonus point. They started well and took the lead inside five minutes; the backs stretching Gravesend and opening a gap for Olly Ashley-jones to glide through. He was stopped short but a quick tap penalty was taken and after a series of drives by the forwards, Garry Jones dived over in the left corner. Ashley-Jones converted well from the touchline. The lead was short lived, however, as Gravesend leveled from a penalty kicked deep into the Pilgrims 22, and from the lineout drive the visitors peeled off to score a converted try. Ashley-Jones nudged Pilgrims back in front from a penalty goal and they looked to be asserting themselves but after another spell of possession, they kicked the ball dead when going for the corner. From the resulting scrum Gravesend moved the ball wide for their second converted score. Ashley-jones then was lost to injury and the resulting reshuffle took time for Pilgrims to adjust. Gravesend added a further catch and drive try then started to pull away. and by half time they had plundered three more tries, won a bonus point and built 31-10 lead. The Pilgrims started the second half brightly, but an error at the lineout allowed Gravesend to move the ball wide for a sixth try.
The young City side showed great character to come back into the game from this point. Great attacking phases and aggressive breakdown work saw the visitors reduced to fourteen after a yellow card, which Pilgrims duly exploited by moving the ball from one side of the pitch to the other before scoring. Gravesend added their seventh try when their centre cut a great line through some poor defending but the Pilgrims responded with a well worked third touchdown which was converted.
They were were now in the ascendancy and chasing a bonus point score which duly followed after great team play. Forwards and backs combined well to send full back Fraser Doig over on debut. It was another positive step in the right direction, but defensive mistakes again proved costly.

Pilgrims will look to bounce back after a week off when we welcome Brighton to the MTG on 4th October.

Canterbury: Oliver, Bull, Timmerman, Kenny, Hunt, Dengate, Devine, Evans, Lloyd, Ashley-Jones, Geddes, Carter, Jones, Valladares, Doig, Everrat, Mackenzie,Thompson.