Category: Match Reports

Match Report: New Ash Green II’s v Deacons

Posted on | by Becca Williams

Match Report: New Ash Green 2nds 56 – 47 Canterbury Deacons

By Iain McCracken

Every team faces a moment early in a season that tells you more than any result can. For the Deacons, that moment came before a ball was even kicked.

New Ash Green could only field 11. The easy call was to take advantage, 15 against 11 on a full-size pitch, an afternoon of running in tries. The Deacons didn’t take it. They matched them, 11-a-side, full pitch, full 80 minutes. With that much space and that few bodies, it played out more like a 7s fixture than a league game, which made for a tough way for both sides to start the season.

It was tough, too, for a Deacons side where 60% of the squad were making their first appearance in the shirt. But the platform was there from the first scrum, six forwards who simply weren’t for turning, winning their own ball at every opportunity and giving the backs the kind of quick, clean possession most teams only dream of this early in a season. When that ball found space, it was worth the trip down just to watch, with some real footwork and pace on show.

The home side started quickest all the same, building a 15-point lead before the Deacons had found their feet. With the scrum on top and the backs getting room to play, the Deacons turned that 15-point deficit into a 26-22 lead by half-time.

The second half opened shakily. A run of missed tackles let New Ash Green back into it, and for a spell the momentum swung hard their way. The scrum kept winning ball though, and every time the backs got their hands on quick possession, they looked dangerous. The Deacons dug in, matched New Ash Green phase for phase, and kept working the scoreboard back in their favour right to the final whistle. A 103-point game by the end of it, and a proper arm-wrestle from start to finish.

The clearest sign of how close this one really was, came in the final five minutes, when a try was held up over the line against a home side visibly running on empty.

Credit to New Ash Green too, a fit and well-drilled side who never let the Deacons have it easy.

It wasn’t all good news on the day though. Gian Smith suffered a nasty broken collarbone and is likely facing a long spell out. Tough for any player in any game, but especially so in the first fixture of the season. Everyone at the club will be wishing him a speedy recovery.

Final score: New Ash Green 2nds 56 – 47 Canterbury Deacons.

Tries: Reuben Kerr, Ted Field (2), Adam Ridgewell, Lawrence Knight (2), Pete Demery

Player of the Match: Freddie Vion, nerveless off the tee, 100% conversion rate.

Onwards to the next one.

Match Report: Zingari v Whitstable II

Posted on | by Becca Williams

Match Report. 26.09.26

Canterbury 5th  v Whitstable 2nd

Canterbury 5th 38pts Whitstable 37pts.

In a nail biting finish the Zingari opened their season with the narrowest win possible. Both sides produced some open flowing rugby from the start with the Zingari having a slight advantage in the backs while Whitstable pack may have edged it at the set piece. However, it was the city backs who opened the scoring after some sharp handling split the Whitstable defence for Ben Waite to touch down for Canterbury’s first converted try. This was followed with Ross Elgar touching down after the forwards had punched a hole in the midfield for the backs to finish off. This looked as if it was all going to be easy for the city side , but Whitstable had other ideas, their forwards making the most of the slight  slope rallied and battled their way down field to claim two tries within minutes of each other, followed by a disastrous intercepted pass for  Whitstable to claimed a third. Canterbury compounded their own troubles giving away a penalty that set up Whitstable for a converted try, and just before halftime burst through the centre setting up a position a few meters from the city line before driving over for a clear fifteen-point halftime advantage.

The Second half saw the same pattern emerge with Whitstable squeezing in at the corner to increase their lead after the city defence failed to force the attacker into touch giving themselves a comfortable cushion. The Zingari had it all to do even with the slim advantage of the second half slope gave us a display of straight powerful direct running that seemed to do the trick, breaking tackles with recycled quick ball had the defence  split wide for Ryan Flockhart to sneak a converted try back. This was the way back with both forwards & backs adopting this tactic the holes began to appear, Brad Alchurch saw the gap with a charging run claiming back another converted try. Whitstable always dangerous again got back on the score sheet with another unconverted try, but the momentum had changed, and more of the same put Nick Creaser over the line from short range, and with Rob Horan conversions had put the city side within striking distance of the lead. With the clock running down the Zingari  put in a final effort camping just short of the Whitstable line before Jake Vowell broke through to give Canterbury a slender one-point lead. With the clock going into the red all would seem to be over, but Whitstable had other ideas, and with a final flourish they got to within striking distance of the city line.  Only to be thwarted  by late replacement Oliver Rutt with a bone crunching tackle on the line causing the ball to be spilled forward thus securing Canterbury the narrowest victory possible.

Last Minute Agony

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 31 ESHER 34

by David Haigh

An Esher try in the last seconds of this National 2 East clash condemned Canterbury to their second home defeat of a fledgling season. It was a frustrating outcome for the city side who had twice come from behind but gave the visitors too much leeway in a see-saw second half. Leading by two points in the 79th minute, they kicked away possession and Esher were able to create just enough space for wing Charkes Cadogan to crash over for his second touchdown. The game did not start promisingly for Canterbury as they conceded a first minute try, scored by Tony Pedlar, and then a penalty try for a collapsed maul. In addition, they lost hooker Sam Rogers to a yellow card and fly half Lewis Hollidge, who missed an easy penalty shot, to injury. Despite sharp probing by scrum half Presley Farrance it was not until the start of the second quarter that they found some points. A charge down bv Jesse Dr Vries and a penalty led to a catch and drive try for Max McCormack, converted by Owain Collins. But Esher’s capable defence allowed them little else and in the final minute of the half the visitors pushed their lead to 19-7 through a driving maul score for Josh Thorne, converted by Matt Dalrymple. However, it was Canterbury who made a flying start to a second half that produced seven tries, two yellow cards and that nail biting finish. The roller coaster began in the 42nd minute with Sam Rogers completing Canterbury’s driving maul and Collins converting but then a flawed pattern emerged. Whereas they had been efficiently contained by Esher in the first half the city side were never sufficiently tight to take real command. Esher made a quick reply, through Cadogan, but lost Angus Wilbourn to the sin bin and it proved costly. Canterbury exploited the blindside for an Ollie Ashley-Jones try, converted by Collins, and three minutes later took the lead for the first time through the catch and drive route. Riley Thomas scored, Collins converted, but again the initiative was surrendered. Pedlar’s try put Esher three points ahead but, despite Jamie Stephens’ yellow card, a try from Max Campbell with eight minutes remaining put the city men in sight of victory. Then came that fatal Cadogan strike and Canterbury had to be content with two league points after falling, ironically, to the same score line as in their first defeat two wees ago.

Canterbury: O.Collins, M.Campbell, H.Sloan, W,Waddington, O.Ashley-Jones, L.Hollidge, P.Farrance, C.Macmillan, S.Rogers, O.Frostick, J.De Vries, J.Stephens, G.Trapp, R.Thomas, M.McCormack. Replacements: T.Williams, D.Huntley, G.Roberts, R.Burden, J.Dengate

Impressive First Victory

Posted on | by David Haigh

DORKING 15 CANTERBURY 38

by David Haigh

Canterbury’s first victory of the new National 2 East season was as emphatic and impressive as the scoreline suggests. In the process of collecting five league points, they scored six tries and shut down Dorking so effectively they had to wait until the closing minutes before they made any breaches in the city side’s defences. On the evidence of the opening fifteen minutes, however, there was little to suggest that Canterbury would come to dominate. They conceded territory, fell off tackles in midfield and had to work overtime to protect their line. But that commitment and relentless work rate would come to serve them brilliantly throughout the game. They restricted the home side to a single penalty goal from Jack Thorn and, having passed that early test, took control in the second quarter. By half time Canterbury were 26-3 ahead and had a try bonus point in the bag. They were down to 14 players, with Owain Collins in the sin bin, when the first try came. A fine run by wing Max Campbell won territory , the forwards camped on Dorking’s line and centre Harry Sloan put the finishing touch to the pack’s work. In the next eighteen minutes Dorking were shown how to convert opportunities into points. Hooker Lucas Eule, from a driving maul; Sloan again after wing Ollie Ashley-Jones’ long break, and then a second touchdown for Eule, peeling off a maul. Three conversions by Lewis Hollidge added to the barrage. In the second half Dorking had the advantage of the slope but Canterbury have come unstuck at this venue too often to become complacent. Again, there were periods where they needed strong defence, but they were not for breaking and put the game to bed in the 55th minute. Defence was turned into attack and prop Ollie Frostick claimed a close quarter fifth try. Dorking eventually grabbed a couple of consolation scores, from Thorn and Theo Williamson, in the dying minutes but those were split by a Tom Williams try for the city side after Collins’ probing kick and chase. Collins converted to crown a game where a crop of Canterbury’s young players began to look at home in first team rugby.

Canterbury: O.Collins, O,.Ashley-Jones, F.Morgan, H.Sloan, M.Campbell, L.Hollidge, P.Farrance, C.Macmillan, S.Rogers, O.Frostick, J.De Vries, J.Stephens, G.Trapp, R.Thomas, M.McCormack. Replacements: D.Huntley, L.Eule, T.Williams, W.Waddington, J.Dengate

Looking For Improvement

Posted on | by David Haigh

MATCH PREVIEW

Old Albanians scored their final try twelve minutes into the second half to make the score 10–31. At that point, games can go one of two ways. If you had walked in and watched the last five minutes, you would have had a hard time believing that this was ever the score.

From that point, the team wrestled back control, going on to score three unanswered tries in the final quarter and finishing the game just three points short.

Two league points against a team that nearly won the league last season could be considered a good performance, but for me it goes down as a missed opportunity. We showed our ability to score tries in quick succession, but amongst some strong defensive sets, we also conceded too many tries, far too easily. There is lots to be proud of, but also lots for us to work on.

This week is one that, as part of our end-of-season review, we want to give extra special attention to. Firstly, it is an away game, an area where we are striving to improve our performances. Secondly, it is against a team we expect to be in and around the top four.

We are not reading too much into Dorking’s result last week away at Havant. We have heard through the grapevine that they had a number of starting players missing, and we fully expect them to be back to full strength tomorrow. We know what it takes to win at Dorking and we will have to be at our physical best to come away with a result.

The Pilgrims start their preparation for their delayed start to the season with a warm-up game against Westcombe Park 2nd XV at the Marine Travel Ground. We are putting out an extended squad, and the players know that to be in contention for the squad against Tonbridge on 26 September they need to show their best tomorrow.

MATT CORKER, HEAD COACH

LATE REVIVAL FALLS JUST SHORT

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 31 OLD ALBANIAN 34

by David Haigh

A game that seemed to be slipping away from Canterbury was turned round in dramatic fashion but still left them agonisingly short of an opening day league victory. Three city tries in the final quarter of a contest which had been largely dominated by Albanians, almost wiped out a 20 point deficit. That determined late effort earned Canterbury two league points and for a squad missing a core of experienced players because of injury that was some consolation. With a demanding National 2 East month ahead of them it was a test for a side containing several new faces and their resilience will have pleased Head Coach Matt Corker. But for the first hour they were second best to an Albanian team that controlled possession, were more assured in their handling and good at the break down.. They were also quick to exploit gaps around he rucks and, ominously, that took them into an early lead as centre Alex Noot cantered over and and Elliot McPhun converted. A penalty led to an equalising score for Canterbury as wing Garry Jones joined a driving maul and got the touchdown, converted by Lewis Hollidge,but they carried limited attacking threat after that. However, if the city side lacked Albanian’s accuracy, they were strong in defence and that kept the first half scoreline manageable.. Albanians found two more tries before half time, Harry Charter finishing a series of pick and goes and McPhun darting off a five metre scrum and converting. A Hollidge penalty goal restricted the gap to nine points at the break but it was the opening minutes of the second half that did the real damage Tries from Tiane Elone and Cameron Grey, plus a McPhun conversion, were down to Canterbury errors which handed Albanians prime field positions. But with the game now looking done and dusted, the city side sensed tiredness in the opposition ranks and they struck. Tom Williams and Harry Sloan set up a second try for Jones, but a naive mistake let McPhun claw back three important points from a penalty goal. Now, though. the home pack went to work effectively against the rattled visitors and won two mauling tries for new boy Lucas Eule, all converted by Hollidge. Suddenly, an unlikely win looked possible but the final try came only four minutes from the close and that window proved too small.

Canterbury: O.Collins, M.Campbell, F.Morgan, H.Sloan, G.Jones, L.Hollidge, P.Farrance, D.Huntley, S.Rogers, O.Frostick, J.De Vries, J.Stephens, G.Trapp, R.Thomas, M.McCormack. Replacements: T.Williams, L.Eule, J.Dengate, O.Ashley-Jones, C.Macmillan

SEASON ENDS IN STYLE

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 94 OXFORD HARLEQUINS 0

by David Haigh

This huge victory in the final game of the league season was perhaps all too easy against National 2 East’s bottom side. In the process, Canterbury’s free flowing style saw them win the bonus point in the first 20 minutes and go on to stack up fourteen tries. Quins were not at full strength so the city squad brought their own fresh mix to the match. But from wing Garry Jones’ sixth minute try it was clear that a changed line-up was still too potent for the relegated visitors. After Jones had set the tone, there were four more touchdowns in the opening quarter, shared equally between forwards and backs, as Tyler Oliver, Tom Williams, Eoin O’Donoghue and Jamie Stephens kept the scoreboard busy. In control of possession and moving the ball at pace, Canterbury ruthlessly exploited poor tackling and by half time were 52 points ahead. Owain Collins, Jones again and Mo Pangarker, who made an immediate impact from the bench, all crossed for tries. There was no let up in the second half, with front row men Dan Huntley and Cameron Macmillan soon powering over from close range. Pangarker and wing Archie English were next on the sheet, creating and finishing as the spaces kept opening up, but the afternoon’s real eye catcher came from hooker O’Donoghue. His foot work and pace over 50 metres was a thing of beauty. The final nail was hammered into Quins by a second try from Williams and with twelve conversions – ten for Frank Reynolds and two by Presley Farrance – the last target was the 100 points mark. Canterbury narrowly missed it but no one was complaining.

Canterbury: P.Farrance, G.Jones, O.Collins, H.Sloan, F.Morgan, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, C.Macmillan, E.O’Donoghue, O.Frostick, J.De Vries, J.Stephens, M.McCormack, R.Thomas, T.Oliver. Replacements: A.English, M.Pangarker, J.Everatt, D.Huntley, W.Waddington

Canterbury Sign Off the Season with 9 Try Victory

Posted on | by Becca Williams

Canterbury Sign Off the Season in Style with 5–57, 9 Try Victory

 

Written by Amber Waitimas

 

Canterbury Women signed off their season in emphatic fashion with a 5-57 victory away at Horsham Ladies, running in nine tries in a dominant, high-tempo performance despite the challenging heat.

Canterbury wasted no time setting the tone. Ella Jenkins opened the scoring with sharp game awareness, taking a quick tap and darting over the line to score behind the posts, before Robyn Gulley added the extras.

Momentum continued to build as Hannah Sandeman powered over for the first of her three tries, quickly followed by her second not long after, with Gulley converting the latter to extend Canterbury’s lead.

Next to cross was El Crowe, finishing well after another strong attacking phase from the forwards. Canterbury’s attacking variety was then on full display, as Gulley spotted space out wide and executed a perfectly weighted cross field kick, which was gathered brilliantly by Teagan Febery to touch down.

Horsham responded with a period of pressure of their own, eventually getting on the scoreboard through a series of pick and go phases from a penalty close to the line.

However, Canterbury quickly regained control. Captain Lucy Relf showed her leadership and awareness with a quick tap and go to cross the line, with Gulley once again adding the conversion.

The forwards continued to dominate in close quarters, with Alex Mills crashing over after another well worked series of pick and go phases. Shortly after, Hannah Sandeman completed her hat trick with another strong finish, capping off an outstanding individual performance.

The final say went to hooker Rosie Payne, who powered over from close range following sustained pressure on the try line, again from a pick and go.

A key feature of the performance was Canterbury’s strong maul play from the lineout, which consistently put Horsham under pressure. The forwards executed lineout moves straight from training onto the field with precision, creating clean ball and launching effective attacking platforms throughout the match.

Across the match, Robyn Gulley was clinical from the tee, successfully converting six of the nine tries, while also controlling the game effectively with her kicking and attacking variation.

Beyond the scorers, it was a complete team effort. Mary Trimmer, named Forward of the Match, was exceptional at the breakdown with key turnovers and strong carries. El Crowe, alongside Hannah Sandeman, consistently punched holes in the defence, while Rachel Betteridge and Monique Beaumont led a determined defensive effort with big tackles in the heat.

From the bench, Emma Alleyne, Inger Philpott, and Monique Beaumont made a real impact, bringing fresh energy and physicality, particularly in defence.

In the backs, Lola Yuille Clough shone with her attacking threat, while Claire Bernthal, Ellie Rowe, Alice Hayward, Layla Little, and Kate Rutherford all contributed to a well rounded and dominant performance.

Captain Lucy Relf led from the front throughout, working tirelessly and driving standards across the pitch, ensuring Canterbury maintained their intensity from start to finish.

A huge thank you goes to the committee for ensuring the season ran so smoothly, and to Mimi Jupe for stepping up into the coaching role, alongside assistant coach Anneka Willis, whose experience as a former Canterbury and Army player has been invaluable.

Recognition must also go to the team’s co-captains, Lucy Relf and Kate Rutherford, who have led the side with commitment and pride throughout the season. Appreciation also goes to those who stepped up to captain the team on other occasions, Emily Moriarty, Robyn Gulley, and Claire Bernthal, all of whom did so brilliantly and helped drive standards on the pitch.

A special thank you to our dedicated photographers, Ken Matcham, who never misses a home fixture, and Ellie Desborough, who both have captured so many moments the team will look back on fondly.

Our thanks also go to the club for their continued support, and to Scrum Kitchen for keeping the team fuelled throughout the season. Most importantly, thank you to our supporters who are always there on the sideline, your energy and encouragement never go unnoticed, and to our youth section, whose chants of Canterbury continue to inspire. We hope to see many of you pulling on your boots and joining the senior women’s team in the years to come.

With great support on the touchline adding to the summer atmosphere, this commanding 5-57 victory built on nine tries marks the perfect end to the season.

Canterbury now look ahead to a summer of touch rugby and sevens as they build towards an exciting and competitive 2026/27 campaign.

The Canons Ended their Season with a Whimper

Posted on | by Becca Williams

The Canons ended their season with a whimper as they fell to a 60-5 defeat at Hastings in the final game of the season.

With a team filled with 7 University of Kent students, who were still mid-Varsity win celebrations, the team put in a valiant effort but the lack of game time as a unit showed as simple errors and lack of execution allowed Hastings to storm to victory

The game was physical from the get-go on a hard and dry pitch, and it was 15 minutes before Hastings crossed the whitewash.  They crossed 3 more times in the first half, despite a battling Canons defence, to lead 28-0 at the break.

The game started to turn in the opening 25 minutes of the first half, with the home team getting on the wrong side of the ref and starting to give away a number of penalties to help relieve pressure of the ailing Canons.  A quick tap from a penalty from the gorgeous Ben Jones was sandwiched by 2 Hastings tries, and unfortunately in the final 10 minutes the Canons lost energy and momentum, and Hastings were able to cross multiple times until the final whistle was blown.

Nonetheless, it has a been a successful season for the Canons.  As one of the highest ranked third teams in the country, the squad has consolidated their position in Kent Counties 3 finishing 7th in the league table.   Now that the squad knows what to expect,  sights will be set on a top 4 finish for the next season, with the long-anticipated return of manager Tom Short to the pitch following a number of seasons recovering from injuries.  In the meantime, time to switch off, enjoy a few beers over the Summer and count down the days until preseason starts….

Pilgrims Match Report

Posted on | by Becca Williams

Pilgrims 17

 

Sutton & Epsom 36

 

The pilgrims made the journey to Sutton in their last league fixture of the season knowing they needed to secure a bonus point win and deny Sutton any bonus points of their own to prevent a relegation playoff next Saturday.

The game started with both sides looking to exert their authority on the match with pilgrims having an advantage in the lineout and Sutton having a slight advantage at the scrums. The pilgrims robust gain line defence was frustrating Sutton until a good running line saw them break through to score under the posts for a 7-0 lead.

The Pilgrims showed good discipline as Sutton kept the ball well for long periods of the first half, but when they did get the opportunity they used the ball effectively to score a try of their own out wide with the conversion missed. 7-5. With the half drawing to a close, the pilgrims back 3 were caught out of position which allowed a speculative Sutton Kick in behind to be regathered and dotted down out wide to bring the half time score to 12-5.

The second half started with what has often epitomised the pilgrims season with the bounce of a ball deciding the next score, with the pilgrims on the attack a loose ball was almost regathered for what would have been a certain score for Owain Collins, but instead the ball bounced in Sutton’s favour and they went the length to score a converted try to take the score to 19-5. The pilgrims emptied the bench after injuries to Archie English and Stan Bull and once again looked threatening with ball in hand, but it was Sutton who scored their bonus point try which condemned the pilgrims to a relegation play off next weekend, regardless of the games outcome.

The pilgrims responded well with 2 tries of their own to bring the score to 26-17, but Sutton, safe in the knowledge their league status was secured began playing with more freedom and they added 2 further unconverted scores in the closing minutes to win an entertaining game 36-17.

The pilgrims must now win a relegation playoff next weekend against Dartfordians at the MTG to ensure they remain in regional 2 next season.