Second-half surrender

CANTERBURY SLIP TO SECOND HOME DEFEAT OF SEASON AFTER THROWING AWAY 16-POINT INTERVAL LEAD

flank and JJ Murray made the touch down. Ollie Best converted, with the help of a deflection off a post, but was left with a simpler kick when brother Tom got the second try.

As pressure built Dan Smart’s trademark tap penalty and chip over the last defender gave Best his chance.

It was Canterbury who were making the running but with the wind at their backs they needed to establish a stronger position. Bury frustrated them for almost 10 minutes, one attack being held up over the line, before a ball won at the scrum was shipped to the elusive Moss who sent wing Barney Howard over at the corner. Was it enough?

We started to get the answers 10 minutes into the second half when Bury scrum half Matt Harrison’s flicked reverse pass opened a gap for a back row break and a try for wing George Osborne, converted by Fraser Honey.

Having detected a weakness an increasingly confident Bury went for the kill in the final quarter.

They exploited a kick which failed to find touch with a try for Dwayne Corcoran, topped up by Honey’s second conversion, and the fly half’s sharp dummy and break set up a bonus point score for Chris Lord which took his side into the lead.

Canterbury now barely posed a threat, apart from their mauling skills, but ruined their one decent chance by giving away a penalty.

They were a pale imitation of their earlier selves and as Bury continued to dominate it was no surprise when Brendan Mitchell completed their fight back with a fifth try. Canterbury: A.moss ( repl K. Braithwaite), B.howard, JJ Murray, T.best, G.hilton, O.best, D.smart, J.green (repl A.cooper0, J.otto (repl T,rogers), S.kenny (repl J.green), R.cadman, M.corker (repl L.whetton), J.rigby (repl W.farris), S.clark, M.cantwell

Canterbury 3rds finished on the wrong end of an entertaining Late Red League game against Thanet 2nds, going down 39-29.

The 4th team’s home game against Tunbridge Wells was abandoned, with the visitors 15-5 up, after a city club player sustained a serious injury.

Picture: Phillipa Hilton Tom Best is caught during Saturday’s home defeat against Bury St Edmunds