Skipper leads by example

CAPTAIN KELLY GRABS A HAT-TRICK OF TRIES AS CANTERBURY RECORD THEIR SECOND WIN OF SEASON Lydney 7 Canterbury 35

A HAT-TRICK of tries from skipper Peter Kelly and the accurate boot of fly-half Scott Browne brought Canterbury a maximum return and their second National 2 South win win of the season.

However, it wasn’t a pretty victory. Too many unforced errors and too much whistle prevented the match from settling into any kind of rhythm but the city side were always more effective and struck when the chances came.

Browne’s third penalty goal, seven minutes from time, stretched their lead to 23-7 but it still left Canterbury needing two more tries to earn a bonus point.

It was a tall order but Lydney helped them out by collecting two yellow cards in quick succession and their depleted troops were powerless to halt a catch-and-drive with the outstanding Kelly on the end of it. Kelly’s final try saw the visitors secure the bonus point but, in truth, the try lent sparkle to a match that had plenty of grunt but few golden moments.

Canterbury, cleaning up at the lineouts and defending solidly, survived an early sin-binning for Chris Hinkins and went ahead in the 26th minute through a Browne penalty.

As the half wore on, the city side began to claim territory but hammered at the door with little return until Wim Baars, almost over the line, had the ball dislodged and Kelly dived on it to score.

The largely neglected Mike Melford then made his presence count after another Lydney lineout was stolen. The wingman tracked his midfield men before going over from Alex Veale’s pass.

Browne’s second conversion made made it 17-0 at half-time but Lydney built momentum after the break and a catch-and-drive brought a try for prop Andy Jarrett, converted by their best player full-back Tony Wicks.

After that score, the home side, although still difficult to break down, did not offer much attacking threat. Browne’s second penalty goal kept them at a safe distance until that final, effective Canterbury push completed the job. Canterbury: T.Best, A.Moss, J.Del Val (repl D.DevlinJones), A.Veale, M.Melford, S.Browne, D.Marshall (repl C.Tandy), J.Green (repl M.Pinnick), N.Wakefield (repl T.Rogers), S.Goode, J.Darley, C.Hinkins, T.Sherson (repl S.Rogers), P.Kelly, W.Baars.

HISTORIC DEAL: Canterbury Pilgrims with Jackson Rowe managing director Bob Hearnden in the sponsored kit they will wear in Rugby Tech Shield games