Canterbury 5th v Ashford 3rd

CANTERBURY 5^th 52pts ASHFORD 3^rd 31pts

Canterbury struggled against a heavy Ashford pack that looked like it would dominate the game despite Canterbury drawing first blood with a Will Rayner try. Ashford’s reply was swift with a try of their own from short-range and looked to dominate with another try ten minutes later. Slightly against the run of play fullback Tom Blackman who had made a devastating run from inside his own half ended up on the outside to touch down in the corner, quickly followed by Toby Allen breaking through to put the Zingari back in front before Ashford’s forwards took control with another try to level the halftime scores at 19-19.

The second half saw the city pack if not in control more assertive giving their backs attacking opportunities, first with Gareth Thomas scoring two try’s, and Will Rayner taking his second. Ashford came back hard with two try’s of their own, but it was the city who were in the driving seat first with the ball going wide for Toby Allen to finish off. Then in the dying moments Allen again was on hand to win a foot race after an Ashford mix-up in midfield to put the game beyond reach with a try under the posts.