Category: Match Reports

DRAMA AND JOY FOR WINNERS

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

DORKING 34 CANTERBURY 35

by David Haigh

This slender but impressive Canterbury victory, which inflicted a first home defeat of the season on promotion hopefuls Dorking, hung on the last kick of the match. An 80th minute try left Craig Holland with a conversion that would have completed the home side’s late fight back and stolen the game. The kick fell short, Canterbury celebrated and justice was just about done. Dorking has not been a happy hunting ground for the city team in recent seasons and Head Coach Matt Corker described the win as a big step forward. “We had a simple plan,” he said “to be aggressive at the breakdown and keep the ball moving.” For much of the game it worked a treat as Dorking were knocked out of their stride and with the ball in hand Canterbury were sharp and incisive. They quickly got over an inauspicious start when a charged down kick brought Dorking’s Finn Osborne a try, converted by Henry Anscombe. Three minutes later Will Waddington’s dummy opened space for fellow centre Frank Morgan to stroll across for the try, converted by Frank Reynolds, and gave notice of their attacking threat. The defence was guilty of missed tackles when Will Scholes came up with the home side’s second touchdown, but Canterbury were soon back in the lead. Assured handling was the key and this time Aiden Moss, making his 200th league appearance, was the try scorer. Reynolds converted and before half time added two penalty goals. As the half closed, Tom Bloomer’s catch and drive score closed the gap to three points but for a city side which had played against the slope and the wind it was a job done. In the first twenty minutes of the second half they reaped the reward of that previous hard work. Reynolds kicked his third penalty goal and as Dorking came under mounting pressure Canterbury released the ball from a catch and drive and spread it wide where Heatherley scored. Next, they kept the drive tight for a bonus point score, with Eoin O’Donoghue making the touch down and Reynolds converting to open an eighteen point lead. It was in the final quarter that the drama unfolded as the Dorking pack found another gear, the city side were hammered by penalties and struggled to hold on to possession. Two close quarter tries from prop Tom Bristow, one converted, gave Dorking their chance and in a frantic final minute they worked wing Max Coyle across. As Canterbury held their breath the shot at goal and glory failed.

Canterbury K.Heatherley, G.Jones, F.Morgan, W.Waddington, A.Moss, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, D.Huntley, E.O’Donoghue, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, J.Stephens, C.Thomas, S.Rogers, T.Oliver. Replacements: O.Frostick, H.Furneaux, C.McGovern, A.Orris, H.Young
 

 

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v Dorking

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

First Half Bonus For Pilgrims

Posted on | by David Haigh

Canterbury Pilgrims 26 Heathfield & Waldron 3

by Dan Gill

Pilgrims had to work hard at the wet and windy MTG to subdue a Heathfield & Waldron side that has been amongst the pace setter In Counties 1. Skipper Al Evans elected to play up the slope but with the wind in their favour in a first half that saw all of the games points scored.
Despite the conditions both sides were intent on moving the ball but the first try arrived after around eight mins from a well executed catch and drive line out. It allowed hooker Aiden Demery to dot down with Will Hilton narrowly missing his first shot at goal.
An infringement following kick off gave Heathfield a penalty in front of the posts to collect what turned out to be their only points of the afternoon. The Pilgrims responded immediately and after exerting their dominance at the scrum, the forwards set about testing the visiting defence with a series of quick drives that saw Evans force his way over from close range, Hilton this time adding the extras.
Heathfield looked to rally but Pilgrims robust defence absorbed everything they had to offer before going on the attack again. Slick handling from Hilton and Tom Best found full back Harvey Young who hit a very good line to leave a number of defenders in his wake as he touched down under the posts and make the conversion from Hilton a formality.
The bonus point fourth try quickly followed as good play by the forwards made inroads in the Heathfield defence before the backs used quick hands to exploit space down the blind side and send centre Best over in the corner. Hilton expertly added the extras to give the Pilgrims a 26-3 half time lead.
The second half was a combination of good defensive play from both teams and an increasing amount of errors. Pilgrims were in the ascendancy at scrum time and were having the better of the lineouts but despite the wind advantage, being second best at the set piece meant Heathfield were struggling to get a foothold in the game. An element of niggle crept in and yellow cards, two to each side, were handed out but Pilgrims defensive effort was once again top notch in difficult conditions as they saw out another bonus point win against a solid side. The team have a massive test next Saturday as they travel to Sevenoaks who are in second place in the table, just five points behind, in what could be a season defining game.

Pack Power Sets Up Victory

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 31 OXFORD HARLEQUINS 10

by David Haigh

Forward power underpinned this Canterbury victory which lifted them to fifth place in National 2 East on a cold and blustery afternoon at the Marine Travel Ground. By half time they had four tries and a bonus point tucked away as their dominance kept Quins on the defensive and were punished for their lack of discipline. After a bright start, with a catch and drive try after only two minutes, the visitors submerged under a wave of penalties and two yellow cards. Centre Archie Van Dijk was the first to head for the sin bin for a high tackle and the city side quickly took the lead with a driving maul and a try for hooker Eoin O’Donoghue, converted by Frank Reynolds. Once in front, Canterbury stayed there and when Quins skipper Willo Bicknell was next to see yellow they pushed further ahead as Reynolds threaded a kick behind the defence and Aiden Moss pounced for the try. There was a temporary set back when Quins produced an excellent 50/22 kick to create an opportunity for the pack and Allan Purchase added a try to the early Ben Bodingham score. That was the last time, however, they were seen as an attacking threat as Canterbury pinned them back and Tom Mackenzie burst on to Danny Herriott’s pass to score under the posts. Reynolds converted and was on target again as continued pressure brought O’Donoghue his second try on the stroke of half time. With a 26-10 scoreline the stage seemed set for a Canterbury stroll and with Quins scrum in full retreat after the break it was a reasonable assumption. It did not happen that way because the Oxford outfit put in a greatly improved defensive shift, the city side made costly handling errors and muddled thinking saw them ignore easy penalty points. It wasn’t until the 73rd minute that they found a way, with Kurt Heatherley giving Alfie Orris a clear overlap for the fifth try to complete a comfortable, if slightly low key, success.

Canterbury: K.Heatherley, G.Jones, F.Morgan, W.Waddington, A.Moss, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, O.Frostick, E.O’Donoghue, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, J.Stephens, C.Thomas, T.Mackenzie, T.Oliver. Replacements: S.Rogers, C.McGovern, T.Williams, D.Huntley, A.Orris

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v Oxford Harlequins - 7 Dec 2024

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

Canons Claim victory over Faversham to stay top

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

In wet and windy conditions, the Canons battled to a controlled and well deserved victory against Faversham, a team relegated from Counties 3 the previous season.

Cantebury controlled the game from the off, using the power of their pack to create forwards momentum, and pace out wide to run the heavy Faversham forwards around the park. A try for Guy Hilton and 2 tries for Harry Jackson in the first half, punctuated by 2 for Faversham meant the canons led 21-14 at half time.

In the second half and playing down the slope, the Canons were able to open up. Kicking to use the wind to their advantage, the Canons scored their bonus point after some good forwards work through Simon Jaynes (playing against his former club), quickly followed by a breakaway try from their own 22, finished by Adrian Geddes. Tom Halliday scored the 7th after some excellent phase play. Faversham had the last laugh, scoring in the final play of the game after a lapse in concentration by the Canons, with Liam Browne kicking the ball dead 10 seconds before the clock had turned red, giving a 5m scrum to Faversham.

At the half way point of the season, the Canons sit 8 points clear at the top of Counties 4 with 10 wins from 11 games. They welcome Sheppey to the MTG this weekend, looking to continue their form into the second half of the season.

Pilgrims Beat The Weather

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

CRANBROOK 0 CANTERBURY PILGRIMS 38

by Dan Gill

The weather was always going to have an impact on Pilgrims ability to play their usual brand of expansive rugby but they overcame that challenge to stay top of Counties Kent One. It didn’t take them long to register the first score of the day with tight head prop Nathan Morris quickest to react when the wind played havoc with a Cranbrook line out and he dived on the loose ball, with Owain Collins adding the extras. The backs on both sides were finding handling difficult with dropped balls and wayward passes halting many promising attacks. It was left to Morris to set the tone for the rest of the half when he forced his way over from close range for his second try.. Prop Dan Gill made an instant impact on his return from injury to force his way over from close range for another score after a series of good pick and go drives by the forwards and push the lead to seventeen. After the first 30 mins the Pilgrims backs started to get to grips with the conditions and were attacking well from deep with Guy Hilton, Adrian Geddes and Max Campbell running the ball back with intent whenever Cranbrook tried to clear their lines. The direct work of Pilgrims back row of Al Evans, Harvey Furneaux and Charlie McGovern should have led to another score but, after doing the hard bit, Evans was held up over the line when trying to run the ball under the posts. Pilgrims were dominant at the scrum and after forcing a penalty they kicked deep into Cranbrook territory. Good line out ball set the platform for the tight forwards to go work. Strong drives from Will Hunt and Jake Dengate made inroads before Gill battered his way over for his second touchdown to secure the bonus point and make the conversion a simple one for Collins The half time lead was 24-0. The second half even more of a challenge for Canterbury as the slope and the elements were in Cranbrook’s favour. But Pilgrims defence has been a major feature of their play this season, and again it was no exception with centres Tom Best and Sonny Trew-Neville shutting down Cranbrook attacks out wide and McGovern, Furneaux, Dengate and hooker Demery dealing with the tight drives well. Cranbrook held out for the first 20 mins of the half before debutant scrum half Henry Carruthers, who was dangerous all afternoon with his sniping runs, jinked past a number of defenders to dot down.. Sonny Trew-Neville then added a sixth try with his trade mark direct running. Will Hilton converted to complete Pilgrims victory as they look forward to a tasty looking contest against Heathfield & Waldron at the MTG in two weeks time.

Pilgrims: Bloomfield, Demery, Morris, Kenny, Hunt, McGovern, Furneaux, Evans, Caruthers, Collins, Geddes, Best, Trew-Neville, Campbell, G HIlton, Gill, Dengate, W Hilton.

LAST MINUTE MISERY

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

HENLEY HAWKS 17 CANTERBURY 16

by David Haigh

A converted try in the final play of the match snatched a dramatic victory for the Hawks and left Canterbury a hugely disappointed team. The city side had led from the fourth minute to the last and a losing bonus point was scant reward for their efforts. On a day when the shape of the game was dictated by the wind and rain of winter storm Bert, it was the city side who edged the territorial battle to establish an eight point advantage by half time. With scoring chances at a premium in the testing conditions it was a good position to be in, but their failure to exploit attacking positions in the second half proved costly. From the start, the pack caused Henley problems at both scrum and lineout, grappled powerfully in the loose and got an early reward through a Frank Reynolds penalty goal. Despite losing hooker Eoin O’Donoghue to a yellow card, Reynolds added another valuable three points after 22 minutes. It was against the run of play when Henley replied with the first try of the afternoon, Lailand Gordon snapping up loose ball in his own 22 metre area and breaking free before his long kick ahead was chased down well by scrum half Aidan Pugh. Max Kitchener was off target with a kickable conversion and the city side quickly found a score of their own. Pressure and penalties gave them the chance and on a day when the backs on both sides were largely redundant as an attacking option, wing Garry Joined the driving maul to touch down and Reynolds converted. As conditions worsened after the break the action was all arm wrestle with the forwards slugging it out. Hawks struck early as they cured some of their possession problems, kicked effectively and got a catch and drive try by Beau Delaney. Canterbury worked hard to find scoring positions but were failed by penalties and handling errors which left them relying on Reynolds’ third penalty goal. It opened a six point lead which might have been enough but in those crucial last minutes they came under severe pressure. Aaron Cooper was yellow carded for a technical offence and, after three attempts, a driving maul ended with hooker Spencer Hayhow’s try. Titchener, who had missed every shot a goal up to that point, was on the money when it mattered.

Canterbury: K.Heatherley, A.Moss, F.Morgan, W.Waddington, G.Jones, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, O.Frostick, E.O’Donoghue, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, J.Stephens, C.Thomas, T.Mackenzie, T.Oliver T.Williams, S.Rogers, A.Cooper, Y. De Mowbray, H.Young

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v Henley - 23 Nov 2024

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

PILGRIMS TOO STRONG FOR DOVER

Posted on | by David Haigh

Dover 27 Canterbury Pilgrims 43

by Dan Gill

Dover started on the front foot with the advantage of the slope in the first half and were quickly on the score sheet after experienced ex-Canterbury man Martyn Beaumont’s cross field kick was gathered by their winger to score out wide for a converted try. The Pilgrims response was immediate and their first meaningful foray into Dover’s half was rewarded with a try for Max Campbell who was given space out wide and outpaced the defence for a score converted well by Owain Collins. Harry Moore, in good form with the boot for Dover, added a penalty soon after with Canterbury punished for offside, their blitz defence adjudged too keen to get off the line. Good close quarter work by the forwards saw open side flank Harvey Furneaux crash over for Pilgrims second try, again converted, but another Moore penalty reduced Canterbury’s lead to a single point. blindside flanker Charlie McGovern, enjoying an excellent all round game, was next to cross the whitewash. Good line out ball and strong runs from Al Evans and Sonny True-Neville sucked in the Dover defence before McGovern’s direct approach saw hIm power over for an unconverted score. Despite losing lock Henry Kenny to a yellow card Pilgrims held on to a 19-13 lead at half time thanks to aggressive defence. The opening exchanges of the second half proved frustrating for both sides as they found themselves on the wrong side of the referees whistle which caused tempers to flare on more than one occasion, but Pilgrims clicked into gear when Kenny returned from the sin bin. Dover tried to relieve pressure with a long clearance kick, well fielded by Collins before Guy Hilton used his pace, found centre Aiden Moss, who showed his class in beating three Dover defenders and sent Furneaux over for the bonus point try. With Pilgrims moving the ball well between forwards and backs and good line out throwing from Nathan Morris it built the platform to launch more attacks. McGovern and Jake Dengate, who made a strong impact from the bench, were both prominent before the next score. A number of close range drives saw ex Dover man Aaron Cooper power over with Collins again adding the extras. Just as the game started to look comfortable, ill discipline and Dover’s determination saw the gap closed. Cooper was given a ten minute period of reflection after the referee adjudged him to be responsible for foul play before fellow front row forward Jenson Bloomfield joined him in the sin bin for a high tackle. Dover made the most of their two man advantage, first adding an unconverted try following a scrum five metres out and a good Beaumont line break got them behind Pilgrims’ stretched defence for their third try which was well converted to cut the lead to eight points This was as close as Dover came though as the Pilgrims showed their class when back to full strength with two further scores. First Aiden Moss dotted down for a try his individual play deserved after strong running from the returning Gus Lister. Forwards and backs then combined well with good phase play to send centre Sonny True-Neville across the line and put the gloss on a good derby display. Pilgrims travel to Cranbrook next Saturday.

Pilgrims: A.Cooper, A.Demery, N. Morris, H.Kenny, W.Hunt, C.McGovern, H.Furneaux, A,Evans, H.Valladares, O.Collins, A.Geddes, S.True-Neville, A. Moss, M,Campbell, G Hilton, J.Bloomfield, J.Dengate, G.Lister.

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Images may be subject to copyright – Ken Matcham

Jones Points The Way

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 59 BURY ST EDMUNDS 35

by David Haigh

For a second week Canterbury soared past the half century mark as their attacking style produced nine tries, a hat trick for wing Garry Jones and a bonus point victory. Once again it was a first half blitz that sent them on their way in this National 2 East clash and later bought them breathing space to see off a spirited Bury response. By half time the city side had hit the 40 mark and were dominating all areas as the visitors struggled at the set pieces and were shredded by an enterprising back division. Jones set the tone with a try after five minutes and although there was a reply with a close range touchdown from Finlay McCartney, converted by Charlie Reed, the rest of the half was mostly a one-way street. Canterbury rattled up another five tries before the break starting with a driving maul completed by Eoin O’Donoghue and an overthrown lineout leading to flanker Chad Thomas scoring the third city try. Bury, looking to counter from deep when they could, had a score ruled out for a forward pass, but it was quickly back to normal service as Canterbury’s risk and reward rugby made the line breaks. Wing Alfie Orris set up a Kurt Heatherley try, the backs opened space for Jones to cross again and Frank Morgan made a telling run for a Tom Williams try in the 38th minute. With five conversions from Frank Reynolds the game was in Canterbury’s grip, tightened two minutes into the second half when the power of wingman Orris was too much for the last Bury defender. It was now, however, that Bury started to find their feet. A try from centre Samir Kharbouch was quickly rubbed out by Jones’ third touch down, and a Reynolds conversion, but the next fifteen minutes showed the visitors at their best. Kharbouch scored twice to become the game’s second hat trick man, Will Metcalfe rumbled over for their fifth try and with Reed converting everything Bury were in a challenging position. But Canterbury settled again in the last quarter and when a piercing break by Yannick de Moubray set up a converted try for Presley Farrance an entertaining job was done.

Canterbury; K.Heatherley, G.Jones, F.Morgan, W.Waddington, A.Orris, F.Reynolds, T.Williams, D.Huntley, E.O’Donoghue, D.Herriott, D.Irvine, J.Stephens, C.Thomas, T.Mackenzie, T.Oliver, Replacements: S.Rogers, Y.de Moubray, O.Frostick, H.Young, P.Farrance

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v Bury St Edmunds - 16 Nov 2024

Images may be subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton

Canons extend unbeaten run

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

BROMLEY 2nd 13 CANTERBURY CANONS 29

The Canons travelled to Bromley looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season and get one back against the club who had taken that badge from the Pilgrims 2 weeks earlier.

The game was evenly matched in the opening quarter, with the Canons absorbing pressure from Bromley in the midfield. After finally getting some possession and instantly working their way into the Bromley 22, there was some good phase play by the forwards , eventually creating enough space for Henry Carruthers to snipe through and score. The game repeated itself after the kick off with Canterbury’s defensive effort stopping every attempt Bromley threw at them, and when the Canons eventually took control of the ball, on the next entry to the Bromley 22, the same result was achieved with Carruthers sniping from close range. Bromley struck back with a rolling maul, but in the last the last play of the half, Canterbury built some good phase play, allowing full back Liam Browne to score out wide.

The second half was a scrappy affair, with knock-ons and penalties taking over. Canterbury were often on the wrong side of these, but due to an immense defensive effort, it took Bromley 25 minutes to eventually break through and score the first points of the half, crashing over from short range after a lineout on the 5m. Canterbury responded a minute later, with Semi Adewole taking a kick return 15m inside of the Canterbury half. He ran through one Bromley player, stepped quite a few more before having the pace to beat another around the outside and score in the corner to get the try bonus point. Canterbury held out strong defensively for the last 10 minutes of the half and deny Bromley any opportunity to score any league points from the game.

A big shout out goes to Mark Stone and Captain Ben Jones, playing out of position and stepping into the front row for this fixture, ensuring the Canons’ perfect start to the season continues.

Mission Accomplished For Pilgrims

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY PILGRIMS 45 BECCEHAMIANS 7

by Dan Gill

Pilgrims had two aims: to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season against Bromley and to avenge the 63-0 humbling they suffered in the reverse of this fixture at the end of last season. It was mission accomplished. The city side were quick out of the blocks and were being directed around the park well by the experienced 10-12 axis of Will Hilton and Tom Best. They were making inroads into the visitors territory before their momentum was halted by a nasty looking ankle injury to loose forward Max McCormack which caused a lengthy delay. When play resumed Pilgrims’ asserted their set piece dominance with the pack driving Becc’s back at a scrum just inside their half to give Man of the Match Hector Valladares good front foot ball. The backs moved the ball wide with pace which created gaps in the Beccs defence which open side flank Harvey Furneaux exploited with the first of his numerous line breaks. The ball was recycled quickly and simple hands put speedster Max Campbell away for a converted score. This was quickly followed by a second try after the pack drove Beccs back at a scrum with captain Al Evans breaking off the base before new signing Charlie McGovern marked his Pilgrims debut with a deft pick up to dive over. The try was converted. Pilgrims were back on the attack from the kick off and looking to stretch the play at every opportunity. The direct running of Sonny Trew-Neville and Adrian Geddes punched holes in Beccs defence, creating space which Campbell and Harvey Young exploited at every opportunity. The visitors were always a threat on turnover ball, however, and it was they who scored next. A stray miss pass was dropped, allowing Beccs pacey winger to scoop up the loose ball and elude the covering defence. Pilgrims, with the advantage of the slope, were soon back Into their stride in the second half. Al Evans was next on the score sheet, powering over from close range after a tap penalty.  Another quickly followed as good scrum ball was moved well to the left touch line allowing wingman Geddes to touch down. Best showed his class to identify space and his deft chip over the defence was well finished by Campbell before Harvey Furneaux ended the scoring with the try of the day. Bursting through a gap he left any number of defenders in his wake to cap off a solid display The bonus point win keeps the Pilgrims at the top of Counties 1. They make the short trip to local rivals Dover next Saturday for what promises to be another keenly contested encounter.