League leaders Blackheath win 40-12 against Canterbury

BY GRAHAM COX

A resounding win to extend Blackheath’s winning home record to eight matches, as well as increasing their lead at the head of National League Two East to nine points.

The Club were on top from the outset, as a knock-on from the kick-off gave the host side a scrum, from which Alex Brown and Jake Lloyd combined out wide on the right for the former to score with only a minute played.

Stevie Clark-Leonard peeled off on the open side of a drive from a lineout to crash across. And as the visitors fumbled their own throw, Tom Stradwick, celebrating his first home match after completing 200 appearances in Club colours, romped away with the ball, before Tom Ffitch dummied and stretched for a third try.

Andy Boye and Ollie Walliker probed close before Archie Holland burrowed across for the four-try bonus, and with Ffitch striking four excellent conversions, a fine effort from the Club fly-half given the strong gusty wind, Blackheath led 28-0 at the break.

Canterbury had spent their fair share of time in the Club twenty-two during the opening period. A grubber-kick from Frank Reynolds was neatly collected by full-back Will Waddington to launch an early assault, and centre Ross Gladdish bravely gathered another kick from his fly-half to set them up five-metres out, but the pressure failed to accrue points.

That changed soon after the interval as, with the elements now in their favour, Canterbury again gained field position, picking and driving until eventually skipper and number-eight Jamie Stephens touched down.

Blackheath’s set-piece, with skipper Ed Taylor at the helm, held an edge, and Holland soon splintered off the maul for the loose-head’s second try, but in a much more evenly-matched second period, a close-range tap-penalty yielded Canterbury’s second score for opposite number Billy Young.

The last word would fall to Blackheath. As the Club pack again made ground in the maul, Chris Bell spotted a gap, the scrum-half racing home for a fine solo effort from 25 metres out.

Blackheath make a first-ever visit to The Haberden Sports Ground in Southgate Green to take on Bury St Edmunds, on Saturday before returning to Well Hall on 28th January for the visit of Old Albanian. Kick off for both matches is 3pm.

PICTURES: ANDY WANSBURY