Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Familiar problems resurface
Canterbury continued a worrying early-season habit of missing out in tight games as they failed to make the most of their second half supremacy and let another one slip away.
After losing the plot in the first 40 minutes, they launched a massive salvage operation but again couldn’t convert chances into points.
The city side found themselves 22-5 in arrears at the end of a thoroughly unconvincing first half, which cost them three tries but fought back to restrict Clifton to a single penalty goal after the break and looked set for their second straight victory on the road.
It was a much-needed revival after the Clifton pack, with No.8 Josh Bayliss a focal point, took early charge and the home side swept into a 10-point lead through a try from wing Will Pomphrey and a drop goal by Brad Barnes.
Losing Max Cantwell with an ankle injury robbed Canterbury of a physical presence but they hit back with a catch-and-drive score from prop Sam Kenny.
That progress was quickly wiped out as their weakness at restarts gifted Clifton possession and centre Danny Wells punished them with a try on the overlap which Barnes converted.
For the city side, too easily stripped of possession and prone to scrum offences, the bad news wasn’t over.
Pomphrey’s second try shortly before the break left them a long way off the pace. Then from the wreckage came the major repair job. A penalty by Tom Best two
minutes into the second half was cancelled out by one from Barnes before Canterbury turned the game.
A scrum penalty, a forward rive drive and some quick hands set up Guy Hilton’s try and they headed closer to the promised land with a third touchdown.
Aiden Moss’s clever retrieval and kick from a rare Clifton attack set up the chance, an isolated defence was turned over and Best made the most of it by converting his own try.
The odds were now heavily in Canterbury’s favour but, although late chances were created, crucial passes were judged to be forward and flaky hands at important moments let them down. Clifton somehow hung on to leave the visitors with only a losing bonus point for their efforts. Canterbury: A.moss, G.hilton, Jj.murray, W.farris, H.sayers, M.beaumont, T.best (repl O.best), A.cooper (repl J.green), T.rogers, S.kenny (repl A.cooper), R.cadman, T.burns, S.rogers, H.mccormick-huston, M.cantwell (repl T.edwards).
play only their second home game of the season on Saturday (3pm) when Bishop’s Stortford visit the Marine Travel Ground, Merton Lane. Back-row Max Cantwell will miss at least several weeks with ankle ligament damage although George Micans could return.