Taking positives from defeat is the default position of rugby coaches but Canterbury’s Andy Pratt had reasons to be pleased with the improvement his side showed, despite another frustrating scoreline, writes David Haigh.

Had the city side taken their second half chances and enjoyed the touch of the good fortune that has deserted them this season they might not have come away empty handed.

Instead, in game of great pace and fine margins, it was Elthamians who proved more clinical in their finishing and a try in each half was enough to earn them a narrow victory.

A first-half stalemate ended at eight points apiece, but after the horrors of the Cambridge game this was a different Canterbury.

There was renewed hunger for battle as they pushed forward from the start and gave Elthamians a bruising time at the scrum. That eagerness, however, was also their undoing as they tried to force the game, damaging their good work by leaking too many penalties..

It cost them two scores in the first 18 minutes as OE’s fly half Tom White slotted three points and another technical misdemeanour gave the home side the chance to build pressure. When their catch and drive was halted they stretched Canterbury wide and came up with an unconverted try.

Undeterred, the city side returned to the attack with wings Mason Rosvall and Ricky Mackintosh testing the home defence. Elthamians held firm until prop Ruairi McLeod found a scoring gap. Centre Alex Veale made inroads in the lead up and George Micans produced the telling offload.

Tom Best missed the conversion and White spurned a penalty chance for the hosts and as half-time approached OE’s No8 Harry Ledger was sin-binned and Best’s penalty squared matters.

However, White slotted a penalty seven minutes after the break as penalties cost Canterbury attacking positions and territory which led to a second try as Elthamians probed hard before scrum half Charlie Edwards crossed and White converted

Canterbury created enough opportunities to close the gap in the final 20 minutes with Mackintosh twice left frustrated by poor final passes.

Rosvall, always a handful for the OE’s defenders, broke down the left, chipped into space but was thwarted by an favourable bounce.