Henley Hawkes 33 Canterbury 24: National League 2 East match report

By David Haigh

A 33-24 defeat to Henley in Canterbury's last away game of the National League 2 East season summed up their campaign.

After looking confident and organised for 60 minutes, and scoring three tries which gave them a narrow first-half lead, they handed the initiative to the Hawks.

They came away with a losing bonus point with a try from the final play, but that was small consolation after their earlier good work.

A bright start took the city side ahead in the second minute when wing Tom Halliday scored from Lewis Hollidge's probing kick. Hawks replied through Will Crowe, who finished smart work by his backs, and a Max Titchener conversion and penalty goal kept the hosts happy.

However, it was the Canterbury forwards who looked the hungrier of the two packs, Dave Irvine crashing over from short range, and when Hawks hauled down a driving maul illegally the penalty try opened a seven-point gap.

With Henley's lineout wobbling and their back division well policed it all looked promising - until penalties undermined the Canterbury effort.

Hawks used one to put Rory Mason across the line shortly before the break. It was a warning Canterbury failed to heed as the penalties continued to flow from a referee who was unhappy with the set scrums and it was their undoing.

Titchener bounced a successful penalty goal off the crossbar and as the city side regularly conceded field position Hawks punished them with two catch-and-drive scores by hooker Morgan McCrae, Titchener adding a conversion.

Those scores came in the space of five minutes and while Canterbury lacked the accuracy to make something of two good chances it was Hawks who had a grip.

Titchener's third penalty goal widened the gap further but in the 80th