This deserved and confidence boosting win over National Division One opposition was just what Canterbury ordered in the run up to the new league season.
      

Getting the working parts oiled is the point of a pre-season friendly and if the commitment and tenacity the city side demonstrated against serious opposition can be carried into the days ahead it should stand them in good stead.
      

There was a downside when England Student wing Kwaku Asiedu suffered what appears to be serious knee damage late in the game and Head Coach Andy Pratt can ill afford to lose another senior player to the list of injuries which have already limited his choices.
      

He will, however, have been delighted by the way Canterbury went about their business.  The proceedings might have been labelled as a friendly but this was full blooded fare which, for Blackheath scrum half Sam Eydmann, ended in the 56th minute with a red card for dangerous use of the boot.
      

It proved a costly mistake as it allowed Canterbury to stoke up the pressure and score the two tries which settled the match.
      

When Eydmann departed the sides were locked in the closest of battles with the visitors two points ahead. But they were punished swiftly as a penalty award gave Canterbury the opportunity for a catch and drive try.  Their solid lineout, which served them well all afternoon, set up the score up for hooker Sam Rogers and Ollie Best converted from wide out.
     

Blackheath’s backs, always a danger even with reduced numbers, went looking for a reply only to see their probe to the left corner flag turn to dust as Martyn Beaumont intercepted and sprinted the length of the field to score and take his side ten points clear.
     

Although the visitors did get a second try late on through Tom Dowding,  Canterbury’s victory was fashioned  long before those final 20 minutes.   They took on Blackheath’s scrummagers with notable success, made bruising and effective tackles in mid-field and wrapped up the ball carriers impressively to turn over possesion.
    

The battle at the breakdown was fierce but Canterbury’s forwards, with George Micans a forceful presence, scrapped and the whole side defended effectively.  It was that hard nosed attitude which allowed them to survive a first half yellow card for skipper Tom Sherson without damage to the scoreline.
    

They took the lead in the first half from a controlled catch and drive, debutant flanker Finn Tonry-Brown announcing himself with the touch down. In reply, Blackheath worked a good try for Kent County sentre Marcus Burcham, converted by Tom Carlisle, which edged them into a narrow half time lead, but they could not find another way through until Dowding’s effort six minutes from the end.
   

By then Canterbury had laid out their early season credentials with a flourish and were duly rewarded for an enteprising display.