Revenge Mission Accomplished

Beccehamians 20 Canterbury Pilgrims 27

by Dan Gill

Pilgrims travelled to Beccehamians keen to avenge last season’s humbling 60-point defeat on the same ground and this time it was a different story. The match kicked off with Pilgrims playing up the slope and immediately looking to implement their patterns of play when it would have been more prudent to clear their lines. This proved to be the case as the ball was turned over and Beccehamians busy open side flanker exploited space at the side of the ruck to scamper through and touch down for a converted score after only two minutes. The city side responded well and when Beccehamians conceded a penalty in front of the posts Owain Collins stepped up to slot the goal. From the kick off a strong burst from Adrian Geddes put Pilgrims on the front foot and when the ball was moved to the opposite wing Max Campbell went on a trade mark run that saw him beat four defenders. Quick recycling then saw Guy Hilton’s pass find second row man Henry Kenny who had too much pace and power for the defence and he touched down to continue his remarkable scoring run, having now claimed tries in his last five matches. Collins converted before adding a second penalty goal shortly after to open a six point gap.. Beccehamians remained a threat but the Pilgrims defence was back to its early season best with some big hits from skipper Al Evans, Kenny and Tom Mackenzie. The scrum was also proving a real weapon for the city side and the next score came from their good work. As Beccehamians pack retreated, it gave the backs time and space to send full back and Man of the Match Gus Lister through for an excellent first phase try. With half time looming Beccehamians hit back hard when the Pilgrims again left space at the edge of a ruck and a strong running lock dived over for an unconverted score to make 20-12 at the break The second half was a scrappy affair. Promising Pilgrims attacks were hampered by handling errors or infringements that allowed Beccehamians to relieve pressure and the first score went to the home side through a penalty goal. It left Pilgrims with a precarious five point advantage.. However, with the clock running down they finally made the game safe when prop Nathan Morris intercepted a wayward pass and cantered in from 25 metres to score under the posts and make Collins’ conversion a formality. In the last play of the game Beccehamians grabbed a third try to secure a losing bonus point but Pilgrims’ stay top of Counties 1 with four games to complete. They now have a week off before welcoming local rivals Dover to the MTG on 1st March.

Canterbury: Macmillan, Demery, Morris, Kenny, Irvine, Hunt, Mackenzie, Evans, Valladares, Collins, Geddes, Trew-Neville, G. Hilton, Campbell, Lister, Mills, Divine, Foster.