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Canterbury Women 22

Medway Women 12

Canterbury Women secured a hard fought 22–12 bonus point win at home yesterday against a strong Medway side, marking our first home game of the year and extending our winning run to three matches. Games against Medway are always competitive, physical encounters, and this fixture proved no different, with both teams fully committed from the opening whistle. It is a rivalry we always look forward to, and Medway once again tested us across the park.

Canterbury set the tone early with consistent strong carries and excellent support at the breakdown, allowing us to maintain momentum and recycle the ball effectively. Lydia Ticehurst (#9) worked tirelessly at the back of the breakdown and scrums, moving the ball quickly to our pods or to skipper Kate Rutherford (#10), keeping Medway’s defence under constant pressure. The back three showed great cohesion throughout, supporting each other well under high balls and contributing with strong carries, offloads, and solid ruck security. Notably, Lola Yuille-Clough (#11) impressed with powerful runs and well timed hand offs that repeatedly gained ground.

The opening try came from winger Emily Moriarty (#14) after some clean hands along the back line, finishing confidently out wide. The second try followed from fullback Robyn Gulley (#15), whose trademark hand offs and physical carries saw her power her way under the posts. Canterbury continued to build pressure through the forwards, and after a series of hard carries, met by equally committed tackling from Medway, Lily Philpott (#7) forced her way through the defence to score our third try, again grounding the ball beneath the posts. Captain Kate Rutherford summed it up perfectly, noting, “Where there is a Lily Philpott, you’ll soon find an Inger Philpott not far behind,” with Inger Philpott (#2) able to celebrate the try with her daughter under the posts. The fourth and final try came from Robyn Gulley, securing her second of the match. Breaking the defensive line, she showed great awareness and skill to play the ball off the foot before collecting and finishing strongly over the line.

A disciplined team performance, combined with physicality and smart decision making, ensured Canterbury came away with a deserved bonus point victory and a strong start to the home fixtures this year.

Across the squad, every player put in a hugely physical shift, fronting up in contact and working for one another throughout the full eighty minutes. The impact players brought exactly what they are described as bringing, impact, lifting the tempo, adding physicality, and ensuring standards stayed high right through to the final whistle.

Players of the Match were particularly hard to select this week following strong performances across the squad. Forwards of the Match went to the mother and daughter duo Lily Philpott (#7) and Inger Philpott (#2), while Backs of the Match were awarded to Lydia Ticehurst (#9) and Lola Yuille-Clough (#11).

Off the pitch, it was a fun day had by all. A huge thank you goes to the bar and kitchen for their hospitality, amazing as always, and most importantly, to our supporters who came out in the cold to make noise for the women. Your support makes a real difference.

Pilgrims 26
Bromley 29

Pilgrims took to the field at the MTG on a high from their victory over league leaders Brighton last weekend, but were hampered by a number of unavailabilities within the squad leading to Tyrell Thomas, Alex Smith and Joel Poulter all stepping up to make their league debuts for the Pilgrims.
The visitors drew first blood when they scored from a pick and go after their well drilled backline- led by ex Canterbury back Harvey Young- moved the ball well to get in behind the home defence. Despite 2 strong tackles from Hunt & Devine, Bromley dived over for a converted score, 0-7.
The pilgrims kicked long and chased well and their aggressive defending forced Bromley into some illegal defending which allowed Hewitt to step up and slot the first pilgrims points of the day with a penalty, 3-7.
Bromley continued to threatened going down the slope with ball in hand and quickly added a second score which came from some slick handling that got their pacey winger the ball in space out wide and he eluded the covering pilgrims defence to score in the corner which was well converted by the Bromley centre, 3-14.
Again the Pilgrims responded with good attacking play of their own leading to a second penalty goal from Hewitt- 6-14.
A pattern started to develop as another Bromley foray into the pilgrims 22 led them to score their 3rd try despite some aggressive pilgrims defence, this time their otherwise exceptional kicker missing from out wide, 6-19. This was followed up when pilgrims visited the Bromley 22m with Hewitt adding his 3rd penalty to bring the HT score 9-19 with supporters aware the slope is usually worth 10 points.
Fresh from some words of encouragement from coach Mal Graves, the pilgrims came out for the 2nd half firing. The aggressive defence and direct running of back row men Isaac Devine and Max McCormack was giving the pilgrims plenty of front foot ball going down the Hill. The mis-firing scrum was now holding its own and gave the pilgrims a good attacking platform. Hewitt added a fourth penalty to make it 12-19 before they added their 1st try after powering over from close range to make it 19-19.
Bromley elected to go for goal when given the opportunity arose rather than kick for the corner which they had done previously. 19-22.
The Pilgrims were starting to impose their will on the game with the direct running and aggressive defence causing Bromley problems. A fine break by Prop Tyrell Thomas was followed up by some slick handling which saw the pilgrims score under the posts to take the lead 26-22.
The last 15 minutes saw both sides giving everything which resulted in a yellow card each, first to Bromley for a high tackle before The pilgrims were reduced to 14 with the clock ticking down as their aggressive defence was deemed to aggressive by the very good referee. With the final play of the game, Bromley sucked the home defence in with a series of forward runners before moving the ball out wide to score in the corner. They added the extras to take the win 26-29 leaving the pilgrims with a losing bonus point from an entertaining but ultimately frustrating afternoon at the MTG.

WESTCOMBE PARK 12 CANTERBURY 21

by David Haigh

An assured second half performance, rewarded by three Frank Reynolds penalty goals, extended Canterbury’s winning streak to seven games. The victory, on a sticky pitch, was down to excellent game management and robust defence which saw them control territory and limit ‘Combe’s attacking options. Given the conditions, and the home side’s defensive qualities, this Kent derby was never going to be a try fest and the prime requirement was to make the most of your chances.’Combe did that early on when Canterbury’s failure to clear up loose ball saw Mikel Davies sprint away for the try and Max Brown convert. The response came on thirteen minutes, a breakdown penalty setting up position for a catch and drive score from the prolific Eoin O’Donoghue, his fourteenth of the season, and topped up by Reynolds. When ‘Combe created a similar chance the city side’s lineout steal averted trouble and by the end of an attritional, but absorbing, first session they had taken the lead. Wing Toby Wallace’s deliberate knock on cost him a yellow card and his side a try as Canterbury rumbled over from another driving maul. Tyler Oliver scored and although Reynolds failed with a difficult conversion he made ‘Combe pay for their indiscipline after the break. Canterbury’s expert handling of the fundamentals built frustration in the home ranks and, having failed to make significant progress, they coughed up penalties. O’Donoghue had a second try ruled out for a double movement before Reynolds struck twice in the space of five minutes at the start of the final quarter to open an eleven point gap. A visit to Canterbury territory was becoming rarer but when ‘Combe did get an opportunity, via a penalty award, they made the most of it, spreading ball from a lineout and Wallace diving in at the corner. However. that was all they were allowed as Canterbury rebuilt the pressure and piled on their replacements. A four-one split on the bench, favouring the forwards, was another decision they got right and the win was completed three minutes from time when Reynolds punished an off-side home team with his final penalty kick..

Canterbury: K.Heatherley, A.Moss, H.Sloan, W.Waddington, L.Talbot, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, D.Huntley, E.O’Donoghue, O.Frostick, C.McGovern, J.Stephens, J.Walker, R.Thomas. T.Oliver, Replacements: T.Williams, T.McKenzie, J.De Vries, J.Dengate, C.Macmillan.

SATURDAY PREVIEW

Jamie Stephens was spot on with his summary in our huddle after last Saturday’s game. His immediate review was that it wasn’t our best performance, but it was still a five-point win and we’ve maintained our momentum heading into this week. Any win against an experienced National League side, as Henley are, is still an achievement.
My personal disappointment was that our two previous performances, both away from home, had been of such a high calibre that I wanted us to bring that level back and showcase it on our own pitch, in front of our amazing supporters.
From my perspective, the main reason we fell short of this was our inability to convert when we were in Henley’s 22. This has been a real strength for us in recent games, but on Saturday, we wasted opportunities that could have made the score line look very different. The upside is that it has given us some very clear areas to work on in training this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing the players take another step forward as we head into what is always an intense fixture away at Westcombe Park.

It’s funny how things work out, but we go into this weekend in an identical position to this time last season, with six wins behind us. Last year, it was away at Westcombe Park where our winning run came to an end. We know exactly what it will take to get a result against a ‘Combe side who concede very few points at home and know all too well how to win on their own pitch. It’s going to be a big Saturday.

The Pilgrims started the year with a bang, beating table-topping Brighton away from home. It was only the third defeat of the season for the league leaders and, after a strong first-half performance, the Pilgrims took control and stayed out in front. Bromley visit the Marine Travel Ground this weekend and the reverse fixture was a closely fought contest, with Bromley scoring late on to seal the win. The Pilgrims are focused on backing up last week’s strong performance, but they know they’ll need to deliver the same level again if they are to get the result they want.

MATT CORKER, HEAD COACH

Pilgrims 24

Brighton 17

The Pilgrims travelled to Sussex to take on league leaders Brighton keen to improve on their poor showing at Gravesend before Christmas and avenge a heavey Home defeat at the MTG earlier in the season.
After a lengthy delay on the M2 the Pilgrims arrived 50 minutes before kick off which disrupted Coach Mal Graves’ warm up plans.
Brighton showed exactly why they are league leaders as they got the games opening score within minutes of the kick off as they showed slick handling to move the ball wide to score and take a 5-0 lead.
The Pilgrims regrouped under the posts and after a quick chat to tweak the game plan, produced arguably their best 30 minutes of rugby this season. The forwards were carrying with intent and the direct running and offloading of the backs asked Brighton questions they simply didn’t have the answers to. The first of 3 scores came when Fin Mason-Myers sensed an opening and darted through a gap at the side of a ruck and was able to out pace the covering defence to take the score to 5-7.
Great interplay from the pilgrims forwards and backs got in behind the Brighton defence with Orris’ sublime offload sending Hewitt clear-Brightons pacey back 3 got back to make the tackle but there was no one defending the back field when Mason-Myers kicked in behind- he out paced the defence to regather and score his 2nd and take the score to 5-14.
Pilgrims then added a penalty to make it 5-17 after a high tackle from Brighton presented a simple opportunity for 3 points which Hewitt slotted. Orris then showed his class by going on a powerful run that saw him beat a number of defenders after good work from Morgan and Collins. When he was finally brought down it was Mason-Myers on hand in support to race through and score his 3rd taking the score to 5-24.
On the stroke of Half time, Brighton reminded the pilgrims of their own threat when they skilfully moved the ball wide before a good running line from the number 8 saw him run through untouched to score 12-24.
The second half became a scrappy affair with the Pilgrims aggressive defence frustrating Brighton and an element of niggle entered the game. Brighton were first to fall foul of the referee’s ire when they received a yellow card for a high tackle before pilgrims Isaac Devine received a 10 minute rest for allegedly tackling a player after the whistle. It was during this period that Brighton scored the only points of the 2nd half, utilising their numerical advantage to score out wide to take the score to 17-24.
Pilgrims had chances of their own, notably following strong runs from de Vries and wing Mitch Fielder, and the decision to turn down an easy 3 points in favour of a pick and go that was turned over showed the young pilgrims side still have much to learn, but a first half attacking masterclass followed by and outstanding second half defensive effort ensured the pilgrims defeated current league leaders Brighton.

Team: C. Oliver, Bull, Gill, Nicholson, de Vries, Hunt, Devine, McCormack, Mason-Myers, Collins, Fielder, Morgan, Orris, English, Hewitt, Kubicki, Masaka, Ingram.

Canterbury Women 29–7 Aylesford Bulls

Canterbury Women returned to league action with a strong 29–7 away victory over Aylesford Bulls, in a match that showcased resilience, togetherness and real intent for the season ahead.

Icy conditions in the build-up meant there were initial concerns over whether the pitch would be fit to play. Following a full assessment with the referee, kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes to allow both sides a complete and safe warm-up, ensuring player welfare remained the priority.

Before the match got underway, both teams came together for a minute’s silence in memory of Caz Olwa, an Aylesford alumna. A fitting and respectful moment that set the tone for the afternoon.

Once play began, Canterbury delivered a persistent defensive effort against an Aylesford side boasting some strong ball carriers. The defensive work rate was outstanding, with players supporting one another through well-timed double tackles, quick arrivals at the ruck and constant readiness for the offload.

This true team performance was complemented by some impressive individual displays. Layla, Robyn, Alexia and El all stood out with their contributions across the park, while Mary consistently made huge metres with powerful carries that put Canterbury on the front foot.

The points were shared across the side. El Crowe (#8) led the way with a well-earned hat-trick. Robyn Gulley (#20) marked her Canterbury debut with a try, while Kate Rutherford (#10) added a try of her own and calmly slotted two conversions to round off the scoring.

Aylesford deserve credit for their dominance at the scrum, providing a solid platform throughout the game. However, Canterbury’s quick thinking and fast ball in open play repeatedly caught the Bulls on the back foot, allowing momentum to build and pressure to be sustained.

Recognition for individual excellence saw Forward of the Match awarded to Alexia Scarpulla (#6) for her tireless work rate and physical presence. Back of the Match went to Robyn Gulley (#20) following an outstanding debut performance.

More than anything, the performance truly looked like a group playing for the people to their left and right. There was clear enjoyment in being back on the pitch, a hunger to prove why each player deserves their shirt, and a collective belief in what this team can achieve.

Canterbury Women are next in action on Sunday 28 January, as they return home to face Medway. The squad would love to see as much support as possible for the women’s side, and everyone is encouraged to come along and be part of the occasion.

The Canons began 2026 with a bang, beating Dartford Valley 72-3 at the MTG in their Counties 3 Kent clash.

As the second half of the season starts, the fixture was the first of 6 that the Canons sought to avenge following a close loss against Dartford in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

The intent was clear from the start, with Joel Poulter finding space in a first phase play in the opening minute to put the Canons on the board with the first of their 12 tries of the afternoon.  The game settled and following some resolute defence from the Canons after ill-discipline gave Dartford field position, a quick break was by a try from Ollie Jeffery, before Poulter grabbed the teams third.  The Canons began to dominate and within the opening 22 minutes, the Canons has scored the bonus point try through Will Rayner.  A flying Terrell Thomas scored the teams fifth try of the half to put the Canons 29-3 up at half time.

As the second half began, quick starting Poulter grabbed his hattrick after a marauding run from the kick off.  As injuries started to hit a depleted Dartford Valley, Canterbury scored a further 6 tries, through Poulter (x2), Jake Forrest, Rayner (x2) and Ed Reid.  5 tried from Poulter and 3 from Rayner ticked off a successful afternoon for the centre partnership, who’s strength and footwork found gaps all afternoon long.

The Canons have a break week before welcoming undefeated league leaders Sittingbourne to the MTG on 24^th January, in what is expected to be a physical and exciting fixture following the teams’ meeting earlier in the season.

Match Report. 04.10.25

Lordswood 2^nd v Canterbury 5th

Canterbury 5th 34pts.  Lordswood 2^nd  19pts.

By John Scurr

The Zingari away to Lordswood 2nds with a much-depleted side due to player unavailability did not stop them   giving one of their best performances of the season. Although it took some time for the city side to settle conceding an early try after Lordswood broke from a ruck virtually unopposed to go under the posts for an early converted try. This was followed fifteen minutes later with Lordswood’s powerful centres breaking through for another converted try that began to make things look ominous for the city side. The Zingari however were becoming more confident and had adapted to playing in some unorthodox positions went on the offensive with a series of swift handling attacks that first put Dillon Coyle through a gap for the city’s first converted try. This was followed a few minutes later with a break on the right for Rob Horan to touch down in the corner reducing the deficit to just two points. The momentum was beginning to turn and Canterbury were going to make the most of it with another move finished off out wide to sneak ahead with a slim three-point lead. As the game went into the last few minutes of the half Canterbury mounted their best attack of the afternoon working the ball within the Lordswood twenty-two before Tony Carollo angled run from deep to split the defence to score under the posts, and with the following conversion the Zingari had established a ten-point lead.

The second half saw the Lordswood powerful backs  and using what little slope there was on the pitch to career their way down field touching down in the corner reducing the city lead. This was their obvious intension only to be met with resolute tackling often stopping the attack on or behind the gain line forcing the speculative kick down field often returned with interest with some elusive running. This pattern pertained for most of the half with Lordswood  having little success  against this solid tackle wall before being caught behind with a thumping tackle that led to a turnover ball scooped up and fed to James Read who forced his way through a scattered defence to go over near the posts, and give Rob Horan the simple conversion. Lordswood  came back but again were caught behind their gain line just outside their twenty-two and infringed in an attempt to retain the ball, at this point the Canterbury skipper stepped in to calm things down indicating for the posts for Horan to seal the match with a well struck penalty much to the relief of his exhausted forwards who had given everything.

CANTERBURY 28 HENLEY HAWKS 21

by David Haigh

There is no such thing as a free lunch this season in National 2 East and Canterbury were made to work hard for a sixth straight victory. In a game which had plenty of industry, but would have brought frowns to a quality control department, they nevertheless scored four tries, claimed maximum points and move up to fourth spot in the league. Against a Hawks side occupying a chair at the lower end of the table, there was little of the city club’s pre-Christmas fluency on display and it was the visitors who were pressing hard for the draw in the final stages. Canterbury made a bright start, with a try after three minutes, as Henley conceded a penalty and Tyler Oliver touched down from a catch and drive. Frank Reynolds converted and, like his Hawks counterpart Max Titchener, went on to add goal points to all the tries. Titchener started by converting an equalising score after 13 minutes when hooker Spencer Hayhow plunged over from a maul, but the game settled into a shapeless affair for the rest of the half. Individual lapses, messy lineout work from both sides were too frequent but Canterbury reached the break seven points in front. That was down to powerful finishing by centre Harry Sloan after a patient build up from the pack, but they missed out on two other occasions while Hawk’s Zack Taylor was in the sin bin. Luke Talbot was held up over the line and then good, scrambling defence forced an error in the same corner. The start of the second half was a repeat of the first, with Canterbury grabbing an early try from flanker Ryley Thomas after Hawks wing Oscar Busby was yellow carded, but sparking a swift reply from Henley. The city side infringed and from the penalty
Hawks worked a try for centre James Leach. At the start of the last quarter the city side found some cohesion, pinned Henley on their own line and scrum half Presley Farrance completed a series of pick and go’s to open a fourteen point gap. However, it was the visitors who took the late initiative and, when Oliver was sin binned, Hayhow struck on 67 minutes with his second try from a catch and drive. Canterbury hung on precariously, but Henley’s serious pursuit of more than a losing bonus point was frustrated in the last play of the game. A penalty award opened the way to a prime attacking position: however, skilful work from Reynolds prevented Titchener’s kick from going into touch and you had to feel that had saved the day.

Canterbury: K.Heatherley, G.Jones, H.Sloan, W.Waddington, L.Talbot, F.Reynolds, P.Farrance, D. Huntley, E.O’Donoghue, O.Frostick, C.McGovern, J.Stephens, T.McKenzie, R.Thomas, T.Oliver. Replacements: C.Macmillan, J.Walker, J.Dengate, A.Moss, T.Williams