Canterbury 38 Hertford 5

A BURST of three tries in five minutes set Canterbury on their way to this comfortable victory which lifts them to third place in the league and keeps pressure on the promotion contenders.

Those scores, supplemented by a fourth try in first half stoppage time which earned a bonus point, saw the city club at their best.

First, Pat Sykes linked with fellow centre James Reilly, who sent Gert De Kock in for the opening try.

Two minutes later, Mike Melford made telling use of his pace before feeding Chris Hinkins who dived over.

The next thrust came via Andy Pratt on the right and ended with Rowan O'Gorman touching down for the third killer blow. As the half went into stoppage time, the impressive Melford got the fourth try.

The second half was a largely uninspiring affair, but further tries by Pratt and Melford added gloss to a superb first half display.

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