A committed and persevering Canterbury pulled off one of the shock results in National 2 South on a day of firsts for the city club.

It was the first away win of the season, the first time they have put together two consecutive victories and, tellingly, the first time in twelve months they were able to restore the centre partnership of Charlie Harding and Ricky Mackintosh.

It was that pairing which not only accounted for the city club’s three tries but re-created the combination of skill and muscularity that was so effective before it was broken up by long term injury.

Mackintosh scored twice in a first half dominated by a Canterbury side who never allowed third placed Bishops Stortford get the expansive game they favour slip into gear.

With the pack taking charge of possession and posing all manner of threats it was only eleven minutes before the city club were in the lead with the first of Mackintosh’s scores. Having probed the left flank the ball was fired wide to the right and the centre bustled over.

Tom Best’s conversion attempt hit a post but he was on target for the second try after the ball was ripped from Stortford hands and Mackintosh ran off with it.

With just over 20 minutes gone the chances to put the game out of Stortford’s reach were there but, as in last week’s victory over Taunton, the city club, frustratingly, did not make the most of them and it could have proved costly.

The danger posed by the home back division, muted for most of the half, burst into life when Canterbury were, surprisingly, shunted off a scrum and strong running by wing Nick Hankin and Sam Winter saw the centre stretch over.

Canterbury’s 12-5 half time lead hardly reflected the game but Stortford’s shrewd use of the replacements bench and a reshuffled pack revitalised them and it was the city club who now found themselves mostly on the back foot.

Ten minutes into the second half it was all square as the home scrummagers won a penalty, set up camp on the city line and Matt Tomlinson drove over under the posts to leave George Cullen an easy conversion.

It was a game that could have easily have slipped away from Canterbury but they defended aggressively, contested every breakdown and refused to cave in. In a tense but messy last quarter Stortford were forced into handling errors and concede important turnovers which they were made to regret.  A dropped ball, quickly snapped up, gave Mason Rosvall a rare opportunity show to his pace and the wing drew full back Cullen before sending Harding in for the third try. Best converted.

There wwere still ten difficult minutes to negotiate and although Stortford applied intense pressure they could not find a score. Canterbury resisted fiercely, if not always comfortably, won a penalty in the last minute and ran down the clock to record a victory that suggests they may have turned a considerable corner.

Canterbury: M.Beaumont, A.Moss (repl C.Horey), R.Mackintosh, C.Harding (repl A.Moss), M.Rosvall,T.Best, G.Kay, C.Townley (repl S.Kenny), S.Rogers (repl T.Rogers), A.Wake-Smith, R.Cadman, T.Sherson (repl C.Hinkins), A.Cathcart, R.Ward, G.Micans