A day of missed opportunities for Canterbury who at the moment cannot buy themselves a win away from home at any price.

It was a defeat which once again pushed the city side too close to the National 2 South relegation zone for comfort.

That will not change any time soon if the lack of precision and basic failings in attack, all too abundant in Cornwall, are not addressed.

Despite looking the more likely side, Canterbury contrived to reach half time seven points behind as Launceston seized on errors and turned them into points.

Even worse, they let them off the hook in the second half when yellow cards reduced the Cornish outfit to thirteen men. Not only that, in that spell another three points were conceded to a penalty goal, an offence bordering on rugby criminality.

Canterbury made life hard for themselves from the start as turnovers and penalties neutered their early enterprise and Launceston went ahead through a Kieron Lewitt penalty goal.

The city club still enjoyed the best of the territory and eventually found a finishing touch after 25 minutes. Mason Rosvall was worked into space and the leading try scorer brushed off two defendenders to leave Ollie Best a straightforward conversion.

Simple errors then handed the intiative back to Launceston A handling mistake was punished by home side’s sharp backs who fashioned a try for centre Ryan Westren, converted by Lewitt, before Ollie Best squared matters with a penaty goal which crept over via a post.

However, Canterbury immediately shot themselves horribly in the foot by dropping the restart. Launceston’s forwards piled in and a series of close quarter assaults ended with flanker Jamie Salter finding a gap. Lewitt’s conversion took his side to slightly flattering 17-10 lead.

Just how important those lapses proved were put into focus six minutes after break when Launceston scored a high quality third try. There were question marks against Canterbury’s blindside defence as Billy Searle broke from half way before handing the score to Jake Murphy.

It was beginning to be a stiff climb for the city club but with renewed pressure came their big chance. Two sin binnings in quick succession for forwards Ben Hilton and Chris Judge, and a catch and drive try by hooker Sam Rogers, offered a way back.

Frustratingly, Launceston were allowed to close the door as they cleverly protected their possesion and Lewitt rubbed it in by punishing his old team mates at Canterbury with his second penalty goal,.

Time was still with the city club but for all the late, battering pressure they exerted, and a yellow card for Launceston’s Sisi Naqasima, they lacked the accuracy or strategies to unlock a committed defence. Kickable penalties, which might have earned a losing bonus point, were sacrificed in the hunt for a try that never came, although Martyn Beaumont was unlucky not to break the deadlock in the last minute.

Canterbury can be pleased with a good first appearance from the replacments bench of newcomer Adam Cathcart, but sadly with little else.

Canterbury: M.Beaumont, A.Davolls, C.Horey, T.Best, M.Rosvall, O.Best, G.Kay (repl G.Hilton), R.McLeod (repl S.Kenny), S.Rogers (repl N.Wakefield), A.Wake-Smith, R.Cadman, C.Hinkins (repl R.Corr), T.Sherson, R.Ward (repl (A.Cathcart), G.Micans