Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Display got what it deserved
It was flat, uninspired and Canterbury’s least impressive performance of the season by some distance.
For the first time in six games they came away without even a point and the harsh truth was that they got what they deserved.
After a promising start and a competitive first half, the city side drowned in an ocean of errors to hand Worthing a comfortable National 2 South victory.
The game always struggled to rise above the mediocre but Raiders’ appetite and domination of the second half made sure they were not seriously troubled.
Canterbury’s early promise, which saw Aiden Moss chase down Dan Smart’s grubber kick to give them the lead was undermined, among many other things, by their propensity for conceding penalties.
There were six in a row at one stage and Worthing full back Matt Mclean made them pay.
Three successful kicks took his team into the lead and he went on to convert all of their three tries.
What Canterbury would give for a kicker like him as they managed just one success from four shots at goal.
Despite the inability to build phases they eventually edged back in front when a controlled catch and drive ended with prop Sam Kenny peeling off to score his third try of the season and Martyn Beaumont added the extras.
There was enough time, however, for Worthing to strike back when the experienced Kiba Richards brushed through tackles and his off-load sent Alex Wilcoxon under the posts.
The city side missed an opportunity to rub out that score through a charged down kick but a rolling ball and a knockon under the posts denied them
And that, realistically, was the last time they really threatened.
Worthing, led by hard-working flanker Pat White, stepped up perhaps half a gear and their aggression at the ruck and a sound defence did the rest
They scored early in second half when Wilcoxon’s chip over a stretched cover defence provided Finlay Coxon Smith with the try and lacklustre Canterbury were never able to raise their game.
When the city side did have brief attacking spells, mostly late in the half, they made nothing of them and, sadly, it came as no surprise after what had gone before.
Close to the end Richards was again involved before Wilcoxon’s try put to bed a match that Canterbury will need to forget in a hurry before Taunton come calling on Saturday. Canterbury: O.best, A.moss (repl M.beaumont), W.farris (repl J.jones), T.best, G.hilton, M.beaumont (repl H.sayers), D.smart, J.green (repl A.cooper), T.rogers (repl S.rogers), S.kenny, T.burns (repl G.westgarth), T.edwards (repl R.cadman), S.rogers (repl T.edwards), H.mccormick-huston, G.micans.