By David Haigh

Canterbury go into the Christmas break on a high after their 35-22 bonus-point derby victory over Sevenoaks cemented fourth place in National League 2 East.

After a stellar performance at Dorking the previous week it was a solid, rather than spectacular, show against a side who themselves went into the game on a three-match winning streak.

They were a point ahead at half-time but the city outfit scored three of their five tries in the second half as their domination of scrums and lineouts kept them firmly in control.

The first points of the match came from the boot of Sevenoaks full-back Ben Adams, with a 24th-minute penalty goal, but that brought an immediate response from a Canterbury team playing cannily into the strong wind.

Frank Morgan carried hard into the Oaks defence and, once there, the pack made the most of it with a try from hooker Eoin O’Donoghue, converted by Frank Reynolds.

That was countered by Oaks wing Harry Barker, who grabbed a pinpoint cross-kick from Ed Shepherdson, and Canterbury then handed the visitors a second try, this one converted by Adams. A spilled pass was booted 50 metres downfield and when the chasers arrived Drew Forrester made a good pick-up to score and open an eight-point lead.

But the visitors were still vulnerable and when Canterbury probed again Barney Stone was yellow-carded and Oaks were punished by a close-range try from Tyler Oliver. With Reynolds adding the goal points, it rewarded a good first-half containing effort.

Going down wind after the break the city men quickly put their stamp on the game. It took two minutes for the backs to launch Alfie Orris over for the third try and the powerful wing then turned provider for the next score, bursting through a hole and sending Morgan across for the bonus-point touchdown.

Reynolds, who does not miss much these days, converted both tries and completed a full house when O’Donoghue claimed his second score after the home pack, where flanker Chad Thomas had an impressive afternoon, drove a maul over 20m. His late yellow card was a disappointment but Oaks, starved of primary possession to make any lasting impact, did make their extra man count with a try from prop Sam Begbie, converted by Adams.

Canterbury return to league action on January 11 at bottom-of-the-table Worthing.

Canterbury: Heatherley, Orris, Morgan, Waddington, Williams, Reynolds, Farrance, Frostick, O’Donoghue, Herriott, Irvine, Stephens, Thomas, Rogers, Oliver. Replacements: Morris, Furneaux, McGovern, Young, Hilton