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The unbeaten Pilgrims kick-off this weekend’s league rugby programme at the Marine Travel Ground with a Friday evening clash against East Kent rivals Deal & Betteshanger. Kick-off is 7.45pm and admission is free. Due to a frozen pitch at Dartford last Saturday Pilgrims Counties 1 Kent top of the table encounter with second placed Dartfordians was postponed and will now be played on February 10th..
CANTERBURY PILGRIMS 45 HEATHFIELD & WALDRON 22
by John MItchell
The last time these two sides met, back in October, it was a closely fought affair and although Pilgrims pulled away in the very late stages it was no different this time. On a sticky pitch the visitors sent out an early warning as they got a maul moving and scored a pushover try, which was converted. Canterbury soon got back in the game with some excellent passing and a slick move put Brad Law away for a try. It was quickly followed by a wonderful line break as Presley Farrance carved a huge hole in the Heathfield defence and Gus Lister came on to the ball at speed. Farrance converted the try and a second from Law soon followed. Another driving maul score saw the visitors eat into the Pilgrims lead and they came even closer with a successful penalty goal. That stirred the home side into action again and by half time they had established what seemed to be a comfortable position. A wonderful team effort put Adrian Geddes, who was having a stormer at flanker, away to score and a fifth came from a typical Farrance effort. Lister converted both tries to make it 31-15 at the break. Within 30 seconds of the restart the visitors charged down a poor clearance kick from Farrance to close the gap with a converted try and it stayed like that until the closing minutes. The game became scrappy and ill disciplined with poor ball handling and brilliant defensive work by Heathfield. Canterbury were close to what would have been the try of the season, but the ball was judged to have been held up over the line but in the final three minutes they scored twice. Farrance got both tries and Will Hilton converted them to ensure that Pilgrims stay top of Counties One Kent having now played 14 won 14. This week they travel to Dartfordians who are second in the league.
CANTEBURY v ESHER
For us as a team to be considered as contenders in this league we must be able to perform against the top of the table. So far this season our performances against the top five have not been of the level we expect from ourselves. We ran Dorking close after giving away two early tries but in all the fixtures against the top five we don’t feel that we have shown what we think we are capable of. Its all very well thinking you can do something, but it only counts if you can show it.
Watching and reviewing Saturday was frustrating. We created many opportunities that we failed to capitalise on; the obvious difference between ourselves and Bury was their ability to execute when it counted. The players have really moved on their ability to review games and our conversations in meetings have become very honest and focused on which areas we need to improve and which areas are the strengths of our game. To take our performance to the next level we need to convert this understanding and good conversation into actions on the pitch. There isn’t a better test for us than against top of the table Esher, who visit the Marine Travel ground tomorrow. They are top of the league for a reason, and we are going to find out how we measure up against this seasons favourites for promotion. There are changes to our line-up as we recalibrate the back division while fitness problems have also influenced selection.
And the Pilgrims register another win: if I had a pound for every time I have written that this season… (I’d have 13 quid!). This one was as impressive as those that preceded it due to the number of changes to the team. Tom Mackenzie had his first outing as captain since joining the club in preseason and the players fought back from a 16-5 deficit to again score over 40 points on the road.
That leads me to remind you that we have another Saturday where both the First team and Pilgrims are at home. With two very big games on offer why would you want to be anywhere else?
CRANBROOK 19 CANTERBURY PILGRIMS 43
by John Mitchell
This was never going to be an easy game for a much changed Pilgrims The first team had taken the captain and a number of other players, so it was all hands on deck and it was not until the second half that they took charge,
Things did not start well for the league leaders. Within four minutes Cranbrook took advantage of errors and missed tackles and powered through for a converted try. However, Pilgrims struck back quickly as good work by fly half by Presley Farrance saw him dive over for the first of his four tries.
Then came the penalties – six in ten minutes at one stage – and Pilgrims paid for their indiscipline. Cranbrook kicked three of them to go 16-5 in front and with Canterbury still making errors after half an hour things were not looking good.
Then it all changed as Pilgrims put together their best move of the day and Gus Lister sprinted through and converted his own his try. There could have been more as Pilgrims continued to press but they reached half time still four points in arrears. After the break the penalty count haunted Pilgrims again but luckily did not cost more points. However there was more trouble when, in quick succession, there were yellow cards for Korben Grant and Hector Valldares
and they were down to thirteen players.
Those set backs spurred the side to life and great pressure ended with Farrance scoring his second, converted by Will Hilton, to put the visitors ahead for the first time. Cranbrook levelled matters with a penalty goal but from that point Pilgrims took a firm grip on the game.
Man of the match Farrance went over for two more tries before the best team move of the day saw Josh Richardson cross. Sonny Trew-Neville was denied a score by an unsighted referee but he did not have to wait long. The outstanding Jordan Constant slipped the ball to him for the seventh and final touchdown and a couple more Hilton conversions helped the score past the 40 mark. The win kept the Pilgrims firmly at the top of the Counties 1 Kent table with a played 13, won 13 record. This coming weekend they meet Heathfield and Waldron at the Marine Travel Ground at 2pm.
It’s great to be able to wish you a happy new year. We went into the break on a high after a great win away at Tonbridge, finishing the block in style. It went down to the wire as we were defending our own try line in the final minutes and the players gave everything for us to walk away with the points. When I look back at the block of games following the break for the World Cup final, we registered 5 wins from 6 with some really important victories. This is something that we are really proud of and as we look to this next block of games we must challenge the teams above us in the league table. This is the only way that we will be able to crack the top end and we now have the chance push on. That is easier said than done and we travel on Saturday to Bury to face an in-form side who are strong at home. We know the size of the task and are really looking forward to the opportunity against a team who are fourth in the league.
The Pilgrims are also on the road, away to Cranbrook. Teams will be well aware now of the threat that the Pilgrims pose and winning will become more of a challenge. They are more than up for the battle and it will be another exciting contest.
Matt Corker, Head Coach
Canterbury Pilgrims 60 Thanet Wanderers 24
by John Mitchell
A large crowd at this Friday night game, played in excellent conditions, were treated to a fast, open contest which yielded fourteen tries. Ten of them were scored by the unbeaten Pilgrims as they extended their winning run in Counties 1 Kent to twelve games with wing Adrian Geddes claiming a hat trick. It all started when Sonny Trew-Neville went on a 60 yards run and some swift recycling saw Dan Huntley cross for his first try for his new club. Pilgrims were up, running and off loading to great effect and by the half hour mark were 22 points in front. There was a lovey solo try from scum half Presley Farrance and Geddes had been sent across the line twice. Bottom of the table Thanet, relying mostly on forward power, fought back with an unconverted try after Roland Odunwu was sin binned and although Sonny Trew-Neville split the visitors defence again to register a bonus point fourth touch down the visitors produced their own brilliant solo moment to reach the break only seventeen points in arrears. Pilgrims started the second half on the front foot and tries from Luke Webber and Max Halliday took the game away from Thanet. They did suggest a brief come back with a converted try but when a great combined move gave Geddes his hat trick it removed any lingering doubts. Canterbury’s biggest concern was a serious injury to fly half Tom McMann who slotted four conversions and set up skipper Alex Evans for the ninth try with a grubber kick and a kind bounce before he was forced off. A yellow card for Geddes and a penalty try gave Thanet a deserved bonus point before Halliday rounded off the evening with a try converted by Gus Lister. Pilgrims next game is a visit to Cranbrook on January 6th.
Pilgrims: G .Lister, H.Valldares, S.Trew-Neville, J.Richardson, A.Geddes, T.McMann, P.Farrance, A.Malik, B.Dunkerley, D.Huntley, W.Hunt, L.Webber, R.Odunwu, T.Mackenzie A.Evans. Replacements: J.Everatt, D.Gill, M.Halliday.
TOBRIDGE JUDDIANs V CANTERBURY
Recently I shared a clip with the team of Alex Sanderson talking after Sale’s defeat at Quins. Going into the game Sale were six wins from seven and top of the premiership. That evening they lost by 30 points. He sums up rugby well for me; he says that if you aren’t right in the top two inches, if you’re off by only a small amount you are miles off it on the scoreboard. That was also the tale of our Saturday. Against a very motivated 4th in the league, we didn’t match their intensity for 50 minutes and conceded seven tries. At home that is unacceptable regardless of how good an opposition team is and in front of our home supporters it wasn’t good enough. Our late rally, scoring four unanswered tries of our own, shows what we are capable of but by that point we had left ourselves too much to do.
This weekend’s fixture needs very little introduction, as most derbies don’t, and the lesson from Henley has to be that we need to turn up ready to work for each other, and the club, from the first minute to the last, that’s the only way you can earn a win in this league. The players know what is required; our week has been spent preparing for the first whistle tomorrow.
The Pilgrims reached the halfway point of their season with their convincing victory over Bromley. With eleven wins out of eleven, and only one point short of maximum. Their introduction to Counties 1 has been impressive to say the least. Who doesn’t love a Friday night game and Thanet visit the Marine travel ground this evening looking to break the Pilgrims unbeaten run. Two Christmas crackers in one weekend, what a way to finish the year.
Matt Corker, Head Coach
Floodlit rugby is on the Friday night pre-Christmas menu this week (December 15th) when Pilgrims serve up a tasty East Kent derby against Thanet Wanderers 1st. The Counties 1 Kent clash kicks off at 7.45pm and is a great appetizer for those supporters planning to travel to the first team game at Tonbridge Juddians on Saturday. The Pilgrims are flying high at the top of the league and are playing great entertaining rugby. Admission to the match is free. The bars are open and food is available.
CANTERBURY PILGRIMS 36 BROMLEY 10
by John Mitchell
Wing Max Campbell marked his return from injury by registering a first half hat trick of tries as Pilgrims extended their unbeaten run in Counties 1 Kent to eleven games. With a total of 54 points out of a possible 55 they lead the table by nine points, ahead of Dartfordians. Pilgrims made a flying start, taking the lead within three minutes as Tom McMann’s kick took a lucky deflection off a Bromley player, Gus Lister raced on to the ball and sent Campbell away for a try converted by McMann. The visitors missed a chance to get on the scoreboard with a failed penalty kick and by half time were seventeen points in arrears. Pilgrims second try was a great team effort, with the ball moved across the whole park before Campbell’s pace did the rest. His third, with 17 minutes gone, was a fine solo effort and when Bromley built their own pressure Canterbury’s defence was up to the job. The second half bonus point try came from continued pressure before Jake Dengate forced himself over and McMann converted in difficult, windy conditions. Bromley would not lie down and were proving difficult to beat until Gus Lister broke away at pace and exchanged passes with Campbell before putting the game to bed with a fifth try which McMann converted. Dave Irvine then received a yellow card for a high tackle, Bromley were down a player through injury and the game had gone to uncontested scrums as a sticky pitch took its toll on the action. Bromley scored an unconverted try before Pilgrims launched a rolling maul and Brandon Dunkerley went over for their sixth try. The visitors ended with another unconverted touchdown in a game in which scrum half Presley Farrance won the supporters Player award for yet another controlled performance.
Pilgrims: G.Lister, M.Campbell, J.Richardson, S.Trew-Neville, A.Geddes, T.McMann, P.Farrance, D.Huntley, B.Dunkerley, J.Everatt, H.Andrews, D.Irvine, J.Dengate, H.Furneaux, A.Evans. Replacements: T.Mackenzie, D.Gill, H.Valdares
Next game v Thanet this Friday evening, kick-off 7.45pm
CANTERBURY V HENLEY HAWKS
The frozen pitch at Bury may have put the chance to continue our good run of form on hold, but it came at a good time for us. After four physical encounters the opportunity for the players to rest some niggles has been welcomed and training this week has been full of energy. This will be needed this weekend as we welcome Henley who are sitting in fourth.
As part of our review at the end of last season we looked at our final league stats in comparison to Henley. We felt that both our games against Henley were close, we averaged one score behind over the two games, but they won 17 games compared to our 9 and finished fifth compared to our tenth place finish. This season we have been very focused on close not being good enough and we know Henley will be a test of how far we have progressed. If we want to be in the same part of the table as Henley, we need to be able to close out games against good teams, being plucky losers won’t change our situation.
The Pilgrims returned to action away at Ashford with a solid 0-19 win. It is a phenomenal stat that this is the first time in ten games that they haven’t earned a bonus point and It is very easy to forget that this is the team’s first season in this league. Fifth place Bromley come to the Marine travel ground on Saturday to try and halt the Pilgrims unbeaten run.
With both the 1st XV and the Pilgrims at home I’m looking forward to another cracking Saturday at The Maine Travel Ground.
Matt Corker, Head Coach