Match Report
CANTERBURY 44 DORKING 19
Attacking flair, clinical finishing and robust defence marked this victory over promotion pretenders Dorking as one of the city club's most impressive performances.
By half time they had rattled up 34 points, secured a bonus point and left the visitors hopes almost terminally damaged.
Almost, but not quite, because the cold wind blowing down the pitch was a serious factor and Canterbury knew they needed a convincing lead to take into the second half.
They achieved all that, and more, as the back division cut loose to account for four of the team's five first half tries and then added a couple more for good measure late in the game
The city side are sometimes, rightly, looked on as slow starters but on this occasion they bolted out of the traps and took the lead after five minutes. Centre Paul Brown found the gap in Dorking's often frail mid-field and wing Ricky Mackintosh powered on to Martyn Beaumont's pass for the opening try.
Having scented weakness, the backs struck again on the ten minute mark. A decoy runner helped fly half Tom Best to probe the right flank and Beaumont's curving run took him behind the posts.
When Dorking, short of possession and territory, strayed offside Beaumont added a penalty goal to his conversion and Canterbury were ahead by 15 points in as many minutes
With the pack in go forward mode, despite a few lineout wobbles, Dorking were struggling to contain this vibrant city outfit and they soon cracked again. Quick ball from a ruck, swift handling and Peter Kelly's pass brought Mackintosh his second try, converted by Beaumont. Things then got worse for the Surrey side.
As the penalty count mounted lock Qin Wiseman, once a Canterbury player, was shown a yellow card and the visitors paid with a catch and drive try from Kelly as the city side continued their plunder.
Would that be enough to counter the second half wind factor? Canterbury didn't think so and as half time approached they seized on a loose ball, put it sharply through the hands to leave left wing Nik Van Mol a clear overlap.
Unfortunately he was injured as he scored but Beaumont's conversion from the touchline left Dorking with a real test which they only partly came to terms with.
After the break the visitors quickly established territorial rights but never had the firepower that brought Canterbury such rich rewards earlier.
They were met with unforgiving defence, particularly around the ruck areas where the whole city pack distinguished themselves, and were denied an early score by a wonderful cover tackle from Mackintosh.
Canterbury's biggest drawback was putting unnecessary pressure on themselves by conceding penalties and a sin-binning for skipper Kelly was punished by a try from Dorking pop Ben Knight who charged 40 metres to leave Steve Munford an easy conversion.
The visitors, however, could not break down the wall for a second score until five minutes into the final quarter. It came from wing Mike Terelak who plunged on to a neat grubber kick, but those potent Canterbury backs countered in style.
Two tries in the space of three minutes, the first from Brown after impressive build up work skewered the defence, and then by Best in a lung bursting solo effort, underlined the difference in class between the sides.
Dorking's hopes of salvaging a bonus point by scoring four tries proved beyond them. They managed one late score through centre Alrich Muller, converted by Munford, but left not only empty handed but with their promotion hopes dented.
Canterbury: M.Beaumont, R.Mackintosh, J.Del Val, P.Brown, N.Van Mol (repl D.Marshall, repl S.Goode), T.Best, N.Woodbridge, J.Green, S.Rogers, M.Pinnick, M.Lister, C.Hinkins, G.Micans (repl M.Cantwell), P.Kelly, W.Baars
