It is perhaps too early in the season for Canterbury to reach for the worry beads but a fourth defeat in five league outings carried warning signs that cannot be ignored.

This latest setback leaves them next to bottom in National Division 2 and if they keep on playing as poorly as they did in this match they are courting trouble.

An afternoon of steady rain placed limitations on both sides but Canterbury’s lack of tactical flexibility and woeful basic skills gave Bishops Stortford a far easier ride than they might have expected.

A red card for prop Sean Edwards left the visitors playing with fourteen men for the last 25 minutes of the game, but even then a limp city side could make little of it and somehow managed to concede a second try.

Stortford’s first came early in the match from centre Sam Winter after full back Nick Hankin had cruised through an inviting gap. Tom Coleman missed the conversion but he was to get plenty of kicking practice before half time as Canterbury’s difficulties at the scrum led to a string of penalties and, ultimately, a yellow card for prop Sam Kenny.

Coleman’s three successful shots at goal gave his side a nine point cushion at the interval and the comfort of knowing that the city side had only once imposed themselves on the game.

That came after thirteen minutes when a penalty award allowed Canterbury to play the catch and drive card, Tom Sherson making the touchdown to bring his side level. From that high point, however, getting in the right areas seemed beyond a team whose ball carriers made little impact and the judicious use of the boot to claim attacking territory was apparently not considered.

They were also handicapped by a ragged lineout, which Stortford seemed to read with ease, and a rising count of handling errors, all of which made grim viewing.

Matters did not improve after the resumption. Canterbury collected a second yellow card, this time for debutant flanker Ryan Ward, and Coleman stretched the lead with a fourth penalty.

Only when Edwards was sent off for a stamping offence did the city side come back into contention and some effective driving by the pack close to the line allowed replacement prop Cameron Townley to power over for an unconverted try.

They came close to a second score when Guy Hilton launched the kind of kick that had been missing earlier, Stortford fumbled and only a fine cover tackle by the visiting scrum half Tom Banks halted Mason Rosvall.

But that was it. Conditions deteriorated along with Canterbury’s dreadful error count and the visitors showed how to make the most of an attacking opportunity. Close quarter drives, the ball then spread wide and handling better than anything Canterbury achieved gave wing Mike Gallagher a clear run in for the try.

There was a late chance for the city club to claim a losing bonus point but the five metre scrum which might have been their salvation ended with another penalty. It summed up a distinctly mediocre afternoon.

 

Canterbury: M.Beaumont, M.Rosvall, T.Best, A.Veale, C.Kingsman, G.Hilton (repl A.Moss), G.Kay (repl T.Wathey). S.Kenny (repl C.Townley), S.Rogers (repl N.Wakefield), R.Cadman, T. Burns, T.Sherson, R.Ward (repl F.Tonry-Brown), G.Micans