Canterbury Hold Off Jersey in Thrilling 32–27 Home Victory

 

Written by Amber Waitimas

 

Canterbury secured an exciting 32–27 victory at home against Jersey in a closely contested match that showcased the team’s resilience, discipline and attacking flair.

Canterbury started strongly, dominating the early exchanges with good territory and possession.

 

However, mistakes inside Jersey’s 22 allowed the visitors to counter-attack and score against the run of play. Jersey’s quick ball from the back of the ruck and powerful ball carriers continued to test Canterbury’s defence, but determined efforts kept them out on many occasions. Some outstanding tackles from Lily-Inger Philpott (playing her final game before moving to Australia to continue her rugby journey), Inger Philpot and Emma Alleyne highlighted the defensive grit shown throughout the game.

 

Jersey were quick to capitalise when Canterbury’s defensive line became momentarily disorganised, but the home side soon regained their structure and composure, putting into practice the hard work done on the training pitch. Once settled, Canterbury began to find gaps in Jersey’s defence through the pace and agility of Lily-Inger Philpott and El Crowe.

 

Canterbury’s opening try came from a well-executed line-out move straight from the training ground. Clean ball from the set piece allowed the forwards to set the platform before one phase created the opportunity for Lily-Inger Philpott to spot a gap and power over the line.

 

Shortly before Canterbury’s second try, Jersey were shown a yellow card which left them temporarily down to 14 players. The backs were quick to recognise the extra space and capitalised on the advantage, moving the ball well through the line before eventually sending Lola Yuille Clough down the wing to score. Just a few minutes later, Jersey were shown a second yellow card, giving Canterbury a further advantage as the pressure continued to build.

 

Robyn Gulley delivered a standout performance, scoring a hat-trick of tries and converting one of her own scores. Once Canterbury found their rhythm, Gulley controlled the game excellently. Her decision making was key, with well-placed kicks turning Jersey deep into their own half and putting them under pressure to exit. Crucially, her decision to take points from a penalty gave Canterbury the five-point cushion that ultimately secured the win.

 

Across the pitch there were strong individual contributions. Alice Hayward and Lola Yuille Clough were excellent in defence on the wings, shutting down Jersey’s attacks out wide. Lizzie Deverson also impressed with several strong carries and was consistently on hand in support to keep the attack moving.

 

The impact from the bench proved vital, with the replacements bringing fresh energy and momentum at key moments. Mary Trimmer made a real difference when she came on, securing several important turnovers that helped swing momentum back in Canterbury’s favour. Both scrum-halves, Lydia Ticehurst and Lucy Spencer, also controlled the game very well, delivering quick ball from the rucks and keeping the tempo high when it mattered most.

 

The forwards also saw a noticeable improvement at the set piece as the game went on. Fresh legs in the front row and second row made a real impact, with Canterbury’s scrum becoming a much stronger platform in the later stages of the match.

 

From 1 to 22 it was a complete team performance, with every player contributing to the result.

 

As the match drew to a close, Jersey continued to push, but Canterbury held firm. The final play saw a crucial try-saving tackle from Robyn Gulley to seal the victory and secure the win.

 

Credit must also go to Jersey, who fought hard throughout. Their scrum and maul provided a strong platform and their quick ball movement kept Canterbury under pressure until the final whistle.

 

Forward of the Match went to Lizzie Deverson for her powerful carries and tireless work rate, while Robyn Gulley was named Back of the Match after a commanding performance that included a hat-trick and excellent game management.

 

In the end, Canterbury’s composure, teamwork and determination saw them come away with a deserved 32–27 win.

 

L Deverson, I Philpott. C Bernthal, E Rowe, E Alleyne, L Relf (c), L Philpott, E Crowe, L Ticehurst, R Gulley, A Hayward, L Little, E Kent, L Yuille-Clough, E Moriarty (vc) R: M Rhodes, R Betteridge, A Waitimas, M Trimmer, A Scarpulla, L Spencer, T Febrey

Old Gravesendians 22-37 Canons

The Canons made it back to back wins and jumped up to 6^th in the Counties 3 table with a dominant win away at Old Gravesendians.

 

The gradient of the pitch at OGs made the slope on the main pitch at the MTG look like a bowling green in comparison, and playing up the hill(/mountain) in the first half, the Canons knew that they were in for a battle before they would have the advantage themselves.  OGs were the bigger and heavier side, and used their advantage immediately to power over from close range.   A short while later, the Canons added their own points with a Henry Carruthers penalty to close the gap.  As they started to play more freely, the Canons started to regularly work their way into the OGs half, and with 15 minutes gone, crossed the whitewash through Will Rayner.  Carruthers added the extras as the Canons took a 3-point lead. OGs crossed for an unconverted try from a 5m scrum before the Canons regained the lead through a long-range penalty from 45m out by Josh Lamb – impressive, given the kick was up the hill.  A well worked set play from an attacking scrum allowed Will Rayner to cross under the posts for his second try, before a response from OGs as they grabbed a third try down the right, but again failed to convert. Mark Stone crossed from a tap and go penalty to give the Canons a 25-17 lead at half time.

 

The second half started brightly, a superb interplay between forwards James Everatt, Freddie Philpott and Jake Forrest allowed the latter to crash through and secure a try scoring bonus point for the away side.  For the next quarter, the game reached a period of stalemate, with both teams defending well and forcing errors from the opposition.  It was only after some Henry Carruthers magic that the deadlock was broken.  From a Canons lineout in their own 22, Carruthers spotted a gap in the defence and broke past 4 OGs defenders.  After stepping the last defender, it looked as though he would go all the way, only for a last ditch tap tackle to deny him.  From the floor, he offloaded to Kel Katta, who scored in the corner.  OGs managed to score their own fourth try in the last play of the game for a try bonus, but the Canons had won the afternoon, bringing 5 points back to the MTG on Shorty’s funbus.

 

There were some superb performances during the match, including Henry Carruthers at fly half, and Jake Forrest at number 8, but the 2 players of the match go to Izaak Guck and Harry Crowley – both colts who were playing in their first game of senior rugby.  Both stepped up and pushed the team forward, and helped to lay the platform for Canterbury to get the win.

 

The Canons have a break week, before back-to-back home games against Brockleians and Gravesend 2s.  Having lost in the last play of the game against Brockleians earlier in the season, the Canons will be looking to maintain their form to seek revenge and make it a hat trick of consecutive wins.

The Canons bounced back from defeat with a dominant 84-17 victory against New Ash Green.

Dominant outsider there were hat tricks from Mark Stone and Ollie Jeffery, as well as further scores from Herbie Bowler, Will Rayner, Ben Jones, Limmer and Ed Reid, Jake Forrest and Henry Carruthers Canterbury had scored 50 by half time in a free flowing first half. Concentration lapsed somewhere after the break as New Ash Green grabbed 3 scores of their own before the home side rallied, including Flanker Ben Jones half way line effort.

The Canons travel to Old Gravesendians this weekend, in a bid back up their victory and show that they are not just home game heroes.

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MATCH PREVIEW

In this game, if you’re five percent off mentally, you’re miles off on the scoreboard. I’ve said it before in this column — and Havant was another reminder. While we weren’t miles off on the scoreboard, we were miles off in terms of performance compared to the previous week against Dorking.
Our last defeat before that was away at Oundle on 8 November, so to go nearly three months unbeaten is real credit to the players for their hard work and the strides we’ve made in taking our game to the next level. Unfortunately, that doesn’t soften the disappointment.
After a poor start, scores either side of half-time brought us back into the contest and levelled things up with 38 minutes still to play. At that point, I fully expected us to kick on. Instead, errors and poor execution stopped us from taking control. We fell behind again, fought back to level terms, but if you give a good team in good form too many opportunities, you’ll eventually pay the price.
The positive is that we know exactly what needs fixing. After a week to recover some battered bodies, we welcome table-topping Old Albanians to the Marine Travel Ground. They’ve been outstanding all season, with just three defeats to their name. Although we scored five tries in the reverse fixture, it wasn’t enough for us to leave as winners. Containing their attacking threats will be crucial if we’re to come out on top this Saturday.
The Pilgrims are also back in action against Old Reigatians. To be truly safe and avoid a relegation play-off, we need to finish ninth — a position currently occupied by Bromley, one place and one point above us. With six games remaining, every point is vital, which makes Saturday a big one.
As we enter the business end of the season, this is exactly where we want to be — competing in meaningful games. Now it’s about producing our best rugby when it matters most.

MATT CORKER, HEAD COACH