Despite travelling without a host of established players a young Canterbury side produced a hugely encouraging performance in this pre-season friendly against an experienced Hinckley.

It will give Coach Andy Pratt more than one selection headache ahead of Saturday’s first league game. The match was barely six minutes old when new Number Eight Tyler Oliver picked a lovely line to break the Hinckley defence.

Then came a brace of tries for his back row partner Jamie Stephens to catapult Canterbury into a 21 points lead. With Canterbury playing some delightful fifeen man rugby, and half backs Dan Smart and Sam Evans expertly pulling the strings, it was the City team who looked by far the more accomplished outfit.

Perhaps it was the ease with which they slipped through the gears that brought a level of complacency. Some loose kicking, compounded by missed tackles, allowed Hinckley back in the game. They hit hard with three tries – one a penalty try for a high tackle which broughta yellow card for outstanding scrum half Smart -to draw leve by the break.

The second half was more subdued but still produced some entertaining open play. With twelve minutes gone an ill-judged kick gifted Hinkley the lead, running the ball back from deep for the try.

But this was as good as it got for the home side. Stiff words from the touchline saw Canterbury re-establish their authority. Getting back to basics, keeping the ball in hand and with Sam Sterling expertly steering his young threequaters saw centre colleague Frankie Morgan driven over after a period of sustained forward pressure.

Then as Canterbury rang the changes from the bench hooker Jarvis Otto was on hand for a touchdown which restored the lead, one wich Canterbury  never looked like losing as they went on to dominate the final quarter.

Report by Andy Rogers