Fight Back Wins Bonus Point

Pilgrims 27 Gravesend 43

by Dan Gill

Pilgrims are still looking for a first victory in Regional 2 but a second half fight back earned them a valuable losing bonus point. They started well and took the lead inside five minutes; the backs stretching Gravesend and opening a gap for Olly Ashley-jones to glide through. He was stopped short but a quick tap penalty was taken and after a series of drives by the forwards, Garry Jones dived over in the left corner. Ashley-Jones converted well from the touchline. The lead was short lived, however, as Gravesend leveled from a penalty kicked deep into the Pilgrims 22, and from the lineout drive the visitors peeled off to score a converted try. Ashley-Jones nudged Pilgrims back in front from a penalty goal and they looked to be asserting themselves but after another spell of possession, they kicked the ball dead when going for the corner. From the resulting scrum Gravesend moved the ball wide for their second converted score. Ashley-jones then was lost to injury and the resulting reshuffle took time for Pilgrims to adjust. Gravesend added a further catch and drive try then started to pull away. and by half time they had plundered three more tries, won a bonus point and built 31-10 lead. The Pilgrims started the second half brightly, but an error at the lineout allowed Gravesend to move the ball wide for a sixth try.
The young City side showed great character to come back into the game from this point. Great attacking phases and aggressive breakdown work saw the visitors reduced to fourteen after a yellow card, which Pilgrims duly exploited by moving the ball from one side of the pitch to the other before scoring. Gravesend added their seventh try when their centre cut a great line through some poor defending but the Pilgrims responded with a well worked third touchdown which was converted.
They were were now in the ascendancy and chasing a bonus point score which duly followed after great team play. Forwards and backs combined well to send full back Fraser Doig over on debut. It was another positive step in the right direction, but defensive mistakes again proved costly.

Pilgrims will look to bounce back after a week off when we welcome Brighton to the MTG on 4th October.

Canterbury: Oliver, Bull, Timmerman, Kenny, Hunt, Dengate, Devine, Evans, Lloyd, Ashley-Jones, Geddes, Carter, Jones, Valladares, Doig, Everrat, Mackenzie,Thompson.