Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Powerful Pilgrims ease to comprehensive win
Canterbury Pilgrims are closing in on the Invicta Division 1 title after a decisive 55- 13 victory against Gravesend 2nds.
With six games remaining, the city club are in second place but with matches in hand on rivals Tonbridge Juddians, the championship is in their own hands.
After a two-week lay-off, Canterbury didn’t take long to get into their stride against a side who held them to a seven-point margin in the earlier league meeting.
It was a different story this time as the city team quickly made inroads.
An early penalty goal by Will Hilton put them in the lead before brother Guy’s run opened the way for Mason Rosvall to send Neil Wakefield over for the first try, converted by Will Hilton.
Another incisive run by Guy Hilton down an unguarded left saw him put Rosvall over for an easy score, again converted by Will. Gravesend then got things moving with a penalty goal but the Hilton brothers’ doubleact soon pegged them back. A freeflowing move saw Guy register Pilgrims’ third try and Will add the extras.
The visitors started to get their game together but their only reward before half-time was a second penalty goal, despite Canterbury’s Giles Westgarth being ordered to the sin-bin.
The game had become scrappy and there was no improvement at the start of the second half until Rosvall broke away to give Guy Hilton the simplest of tries, converted by his brother.
Pilgrims were now starting to reassert control which was reinforced by a try from prop Uran Jerlija and the pace and power of the Pilgrims swept Gravesend away in the last quarter.
It brought further tries for Wakefield, Dan Winchester and Dan Gill, two of them converted by Will Hilton, but before the end there was a positive response from the visitors who produced a well-worked converted try.
A last-minute try from Justin Lello snatched a 25-20 victory for Canterbury Cardinals in Sunday’s Kent Veterans Cup semi-final against Aylesford Bulls. The game developed into a battle between Aylesford’s strong pack of forwards and the city veterans’ superior back division where the men with the faster legs triumphed in the end.
The visiting forwards manufactured two unconverted tries in the first half and Cardinals’ reply was a solitary penalty from Kevin Stevens.
A switch of tactics after the break and the introduction of fresh legs from the bench paid immediate dividends for Canterbury with a try for Nick Calder, converted by Simon Crossley.
Aylesford’s pack replied with a barrage of close quarter drives and a third try took them five points ahead.
Cardinals’ faith in their backs was then rewarded with a try from Gareth Thomas and as the game went into its final quarter, the result was still in the balance.
Aylesford grabbed the lead again with a fourth try but with five minutes left, Thomas made the running before Julian Hunt picked up an awkward ball to level.
Aylesford missed their chance with a failed penalty kick but a last Cardinals attack saw Lello touch down to take his team to the final.