WESTCOMBE PARK suffered their first defeat in National League 2 when they lost 22-10 at home to Otley on Saturday.

Both teams played strong defensive games in the first half with the only points coming from an Adam Greendale penalty for Otley.

Combe had chances to level the score but chose to go for the line instead of kicking.

The visitors started the second half strongly and increased their lead when Danny Smith went over. Greendale converted.

Westcombe pulled a try back through Graham Frith before Smith got his second try of the afternoon.

Otley looked to kill the game off and added a third try through Andre Xavier. Greendale added the extras.

Tom Hayman got a last minute consolation try for Combe who return to action with a trip to play Manchester on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Canterbury needed two tries in the last 13 minutes from flanker Blair Morris and fly half Sam Rasch to seal a 37-11 win over Clifton.

They ran in four tries, secured a bonus point and moved up to third in the National 3 South table, but the margin of victory should have been greater.

Clifton actually took a seventh minute lead. The first of many penalties conceded allowed the visitors to moved the ball swiftly to the right where flanker Tom Lambert provided the finishing touch.

Canterbury’s forward power, however, was already beginning to tell and after an exchange of penalty goals between Rasch and visiting fly half John Barnes, that strength earned the city club their first try.

Neil Meyer picked up at the base of an attacking scrum and ploughed through fragile defending.

Rasch converted but Canterbury persisted in conceding territory unnecessarily and found themselves behind again to a Barnes penalty before ending the half with a real show of quality.

Miles Littlechild, Gert de Kock and Mike Melford ran and handled cleanly and cleverly before Melford scooted behind the posts and Rasch made it 17-11.

After the break Rasch kicked a couple of penalty goals to put further daylight between the sides.

Still there was no try for all the Canterbury effort but as the crowd began to finger their worry beads Meyer made an incisive thrust in Clifton’s 22 metre area and Morris’s touchdown laid any anxieties to rest.

Rasch had no trouble with the conversion, and added a welcome try of his own in the 74th minute to ensure the win and finish with a personal haul of 22 points.