Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Blistering start paves way for milestone win
scene to retrieve possession from a hanging kick by Dan Smart and recycled ball provided Tyler Edwards with a huge overlap.
A minute, later the city club repeated the feat, their sharpness creating space for Guy Hilton to grab the third try. Best coolly converted them all. Redruth, shaken but too experienced to panic over the early setbacks, then slowly played themselves back into contention.
Pressure brought penalties, a catch and drive score for lock Sean Buzza and as Canterbury went through a nervous spell, wing Lewis Vinnicombe’s clever running made turned over ball into a try which Angus Taylor converted.
The city club got over that and with their set piece always a rock, went looking for a bonus point try before half-time. In the face of solid defending, they had to settle for a Best penalty goal and knew that a 12-point lead was not the best insurance when playing against a cold wind.
They blew a chance immediately after the break and soon paid a heavy price when the Redruth pack camped on the city line and the pick and go route saw Buzza cross for his second try.
The momentum swung further to home side when they broke from deep for Buzza to complete his hat- trick and Taylor’s third conversion robbed Canterbury of the lead.
With the game well into the final quarter it was now a test of Canterbury’s will and they responded magnificently.
The Cornishmen were still proving difficult to crack but a piece of opportunism changed the course of history. Redruth attacked dangerously but Guy Hilton read the final pass and his interception and 70 metre run to the line turned the game again.
Best hit the post with the conversion attempt but the city club now had an eye on history. Aggressive scrummaging won a penalty, which was kicked to the corner and the backs piled in to sustain a surging catch and drive. When they wrestled it over the line, Best was at the bottom to touch down. Canterbury: A.moss (repl H.sayers), G.hilton, J J Murray,w. Farris, M.beaumont, T.best, D.smart (repl K.braithwaite), J.green (repl A.cooper), T.rogers (repl C.townley), S.kenny, T.burns, L.woodbridge (repl V.meredith), T.edwards, S.rogers, H.mccormick-huston.