A stunning second half effort from Canterbury produced one of the shock results of the day in National 2 South as the city side roared back from a 26-point deficit to grab victory in the closing minute of the match.

“It was our best performance of the season, no doubt” said delighted Head Coach Andy Pratt.

“We have always believed we are good enough to turn over one of the top four. Now we have proved it and against a quality side.”

Defeat must have been the last thing on Hartpury’s minds when they ran in four first half tries. They bossed the set scrums, took their chances clinically and benefited from a blizzard of penalties and two yellow cards that blew Canterbury off course.

When the city club emerged after the break without injured skipper Peter Kelly, and both Jesse Liston and Wim Baars still serving time in the sin bin, only a supreme optimist would have fancied their chances

But in the opening minutes of the new half came a radical shake-up as, against the odds, Canterbury struck twice.

From the kick-off lock Tom Sherson’s determined chase saw him claim a juicy box kick and Scott Browne and Aiden Moss turn it into a try for Neil Wakefield, the hooker’s first touch of the ball after replacing the injured Kelly.

A Canterbury pack with new appetite and ferocious commitment began to probe effectively and the pressure quickly brought more rewards in the shape of a try for centre David Devlin-Jones.

This was suddenly a city team with the bit between its teeth and even a penalty goal from Hartpury’s Craig Jackson, who had converted three of his side’s tries, could not shake their belief as they occupied enemy territory for long periods,

Those earlier scores, from Chris Fortey, Jackson, Ian Clark and Sam Raven, were now looking increasingly vulnerable as Canterbury enjoyed the possession and momentum they had found only fitfully in the first half

Hartpury were shaken by devil of their splendid forwards who, reinforced by some judicious replacements, won back their spurs at the set pieces and by a back division that refused to concede an inch.

Two tries in the space of three minutes set up a nail biting finale.  Hartpury cracked again under close quarter pounding and Baars atoned for his ten minute absence by claiming the touchdown.

On the 70 minute mark, scrum half Dave Marshall crowned an excellent display with another close range effort to reduce the margin to a single point.  It was a proper reward for his sniping around the base which had shown Hartpury’s defence was never watertight even when they were on top.

Desperation set in for a College team under the cosh in those closing minutes, leading to yellow cards for Will Graulich and Callum O’Connell and as the clock ticked down referee David Procter, hardly a popular figure with Canterbury in the first half, became their friend as he awarded a penalty 30 metres from the posts.

Another of the city side’s attributes had been a faultless kicking return, two conversions apiece for Browne and his replacement Tom Best.

It was now left to Best to conquer his nerves but his winning kick, like so much of Canterbury’s second half performance, was spot on.

Canterbury: M.Beaumont, A.Moss, A.Veale, D.Devlin-Jones, M.Melford, S.Browne (rep T.Best), D.Marshall, J.Green (repl M.Livesey), S.Rogers, S.Goode (repl R.McLeod), B.Massey, T.Sherson, J.Liston, P.Kelly (repl N.Wakefield), W.Baars