The match report section is - importantly - a means of reporting our activities in way that actually helps our friends in the Press. Carry on sending direct to Kentish Gazette's Mark Stokes if you do so already but copy me into the email “loop” so I can keep the web site stuff up to date until YOUR TEAM  enters stuff directly using the system here on the new site!!

Anything posted here will also get to the KG sports desk (separate from Mark I think) and other press esp AdScene who also provide generous coverage.. BBC Radio Kent have expressed interest in certain big match items used for their sports web pages.

- click on Author login on right side menu
- enter the username and pass you have been given by your skipper - contact me direct if it's easier!
(after logging in a list of reports and publish progress on these will then be displayed)
- click Submit article on right side menu
- enter title in the fixture date opp format     YYYY-MM-DD - Oppo     
eg (2004-10-09 - St Albans)!! This is quite important actually for ordering entries.
- enter report in the Summary panel
(DO MAKE SURE THIS IS TEXT and NOT WORD DOC if cut 'n pasting  ... if you're working from Word, copy and cut 'n past to Notepad to remove hidden Word doc formatting crap and then cut 'n paste from Notebook). Include team list please. Make sure there are no chevrons  like > and < in the text. Please add author details and contact phone number/email.
-Select correct team from the Category list !!!!!!
-Change Type to Summary unless also submitting a picture/doc
-SUBMIT the damn thing!!!
(NB entries are 'moderated' before being published)

Actually all this is much quicker in the doing than the reading! Any probs, contact me. But it really doesn't get much easier than this.

Viewing reports

The new site's match reports section is accessible by bookmarking the page you arrive by clicking from the right menu :   

View Authors/Teams > Team Reports

(This is the combined list of all team submissions, latest reports at the end, which will be tidied up in due course to show just the very latest selection plus a list of previous reports. The press can simply cut and paste directly from here if required.)

Or for individual reports, look under the 'Categories' menu on the left panel ...

Categories > Match Reports > required team  > required match

Picture, docs, comments may be added on first submission or later, and reports amended at any time (ask!).

Any problems  please contact Creech at creech@polofarm.org  or call  01227 766423 anytime.

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The photos provided on this site are as credited or otherwise by Jon Ward. Please submit pictures via the appropriate article category - or via the upload utlity which will be provided fairly soon. (Pictures can be uploaded/inserted when you contribute articles.)

In most cases a small preview picture is accompanied by a link to a larger image which can be used freely (right click on the mouse to save the picture while browsing). For those that might require them, there are large-sized originals of between 2meg-5meg - simply send a request via an email or comment actually from the picture page. (Mark the comment 'not for publishing' so untick that box before submitting.)

Pictures by Jon Ward ("Creech") - If you would require a QUALITY print on A4 sheet the price is £5, minimum order of  five from the same team unless you speak very nicely to Creech..

Printed pictures by Anita Clarke by private arrangement with her.

 DO NOT hot-link to these pictures from other than the polofarm.org website.

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Lille Tournament, 8/9 September

Champions

For the second time in three seasons, Canterbury returned from Lille victorious in a tournament that boasted some of the best club opposition in France.

Despite the absence of a number of players who will be vying for a squad place in the league opener against Hampstead in a fortnights time, Canterbury were the dominant side of the tournament.

Opening proceedings against Le Touquet, the English side seemed to find their rhythm quickly and built on the encouraging and improving performances of the previous weeks.Indeed, the lion’s share of possession, territory and chances were enjoyed by Canterbury.As the match settled Canterbury grew increasingly guilty of not converting their dominance and conceded against the run of play, Matt Harper deflecting into his own goal.This was the one blot of an otherwise solid weekend’s performance from the new captain.Le Touquet refused to show any attacking instinct in the second half and despite their continued dominance, Canterbury could not breach their opposition’s defence and were left on the unfavourable end of a 1-0 score line.

The day’s second fixture pitted Canterbury against last year’s French national league runners up,Racing Club, coached by ex-Canterbury striker Matt Philpott.A much-improved display in front of goal by Canterbury meant that the result was never in doubt. Sean Duvall and Chris Bassano-Harper both claimed a brace as a result of some clinical finishing and Leigh Barratt and Matt Harper also registered to post a 6-0 final score.

The overnight arrival of Morten Pedersen, Stewart Keir and Matt Davey bolstered the squad for the fixture against the hosts at Sunday midday.Youngster Tristan Wild’s penalty corner strike was enough to separate the sides and although once again the final tally did not reflect Canterbury’s dominance, the travelling side would take heart from the ability to win the game by the slender margin of 1-0.

Montrouge, who are regularly seen competing in Europe’s top trophies were Canterbury’s final opposition of the weekend.Despite their calibre, the French side offered little to threaten their opponents, who controlled the game from start to finish.Encouragingly, it was not only Canterbury’s general play that was superior, but also the fitness shown by the Kentish side. A 3-1 victory was executed at a canter with goals coming from Goodman, Duvall and Rob Pryce who slotted back into the side with ease following his recent return from Australia.

This victory left Canterbury top of the pile and worthy winners of a competitive tournament.

With two weeks and one game to go before the league opener, coach Darryl Cassidy is already relishing his impending selection headache, accentuated by another positive weekend in Canterbury’s pre-season.

Squad: Barratt, Bassano-Harper, Butcher, Cassidy, Cowling, Davey, Dunn, Duvall, Goodman, Hare, Harper, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R, Richford, Wild.

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v Southgate, (Home), 16/09/07.

Lost 0 - 2

A goal in each half was enough for Southgate to inflict defeat upon Canterbury in the final fixture of their pre-season campaign at Polo Farm on Sunday.

On a bright September day, a fair sized crowd gathered to watch the new-look first team for the first time this season.What they witnessed was a side that continue to show promise, but who must make a step up when they take on Hampstead in next week’s opening league fixture.

Canterbury owned the majority of chances of the game, but in the most clear cut of these opportunities they were profligate with their finishing. Although this will be a concern for the Kent side, equally disconcerting will be the inability shown to upgrade much of the possession that was enjoyed in and around their oppositions ‘D’.

Both sides looked comfortable in possession throughout the game and were able to control its tempo for significant periods.Even when Southgate fully pressed and attempted to rush the Canterbury defence immediately after half time the home side did not appear under pressure.

The visitors took the lead midway through the first half, converting a penalty corner. Although the shot was well flicked Ben Cowling in the Canterbury goal may have felt disappointed that he wasn’t able to deflect the shot wide.

An equaliser always seemed likely, but chances continued to go begging.As a result, when an untidy scramble at the near post saw the ball squirm past Cowling’s pads, it seemed that the home side had now left themselves too much to do to square the game and this proved to be the case.

The defeat leaves Canterbury’s feet on the ground and offers a reminder of the application required to succeed in the league this year.After an upbeat pre-season this result should not detract from the strides that have been made by the young squad. It should however serve as a reminder that the side will have to perform consistently well to ensure positive results during the year.

Squad: Barratt, Bassano-Harper, Cowling, Davey, Dunn, Duvall, Goodman, Hare B, Hare S, Harper, Hayward, Keir, Pedersen, Pryce C, Richford, Warington, Wild.

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v Hampstead and Westminster, (Away), 23/09/07.

Lost 1 – 2

Perennial bogey side Hampstead and Westminster once again took the points in a closely fought game which Canterbury did not deserve to lose.

The game’s three goals all came in a ten minute period after half-time, but this could have been very different had Canterbury shown greater equanimity at crucial moments in front of goal.

Clear openings came for Chris Bassano-Harper and Jess Dowsing, but certainly the former seemed unnaturally apprehensive in front of goal, indubitably down to opening match anxiety.

Despite Canterbury’s first half chances, it was the home side who opened the scoring for the in the 38^th minute through Andy Cornick; the Welsh international firing home from the top of the ‘D’ having beaten three Canterbury defenders. Although Cornick was lucky to be allowed to continue his run after clearly kicking the ball, his shot was clinical leaving Adrian Kimber no chance in the Canterbury goal.

Within 5 minutes Canterbury found themselves level, courtesy of Christian Pryce’s penalty corner strike. However, parity was only temporarily restored, as Jamie Edington finished off a smart Hampstead attack to put the hosts in front once more.

Canterbury were clearly frustrated by their inability to convert the chances they created and Matt Harper was guilty of dissent towards the umpires, resulting in a yellow card for the visiting captain. Despite their numerical disadvantage Canterbury continued to threaten, looking solid in defence and lively going forward with the exceptional Rob Pryce causing numerous problems for Hampstead.

The result was never certain for the entire match, but when Christian Pryce struck the outside of the post with less than 2 minutes remaining it seemed that Hampstead had luck on their side.

The final whistle sounded with the score line at 2-1 leaving Canterbury to ponder what may have been if they had finished some of their first half opportunities. Although not deserving to come away from the game empty handed, Canterbury were undone by a combination of opening match nerves and too great a concern for factors beyond their control. However, as the side settles over the coming weeks, they will find that results begin to go their way.

Squad: Bassano-Harper, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Duvall, Goodman, Hare S, Harper, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R, Richford, Stevens, Wild.

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v Beeston, (Home)

Lost 2 – 5

Canterbury suffered their second defeat in as many games to leave them without a point after their first two outings of the season.

Despite dominating for substantial periods of the game, including most of the second half, Canterbury found the Beeston rear guard too tough to break down.This in tandem with the visitors taking their chances resulted in a heavy defeat for the home side.

The first five minutes saw Canterbury touch on the sort of form that if consistently produced would see them dictate most opposition.Jess Dowsing’s neat deflection was the reward for this opening salvo, the ball flying high into the net to leave George Pinner in the Beeston goal no chance of preventing the opener.

Perhaps unaccustomed to the position they were in, Canterbury became reticent and their initial impetus faded. As a result, the equalising strike came just a few minutes later, when Olly Cooper found just enough space to release a well directed reverse stick strike.With the visitors finding their feet and beginning to play with a fluent style, it became a mere matter of time before they took the lead, midfield playmaker Adam Dixon converting from a penalty corner in the 22^nd minute.

Canterbury grew increasingly ragged, perhaps frustrated at their inability to recapture their initial shape.Attempting to force the issue, Canterbury turned over possession on a regular basis and Beeston perspicaciously waited for the mistakes to arrive.With just 5 minutes to go until the break, Beeston scored a crucial third through captain David Griffiths.

Deflated at the interval, Canterbury were asked to respond and the beginning of the second period saw the home side start strongly.Crucially though it was Beeston that struck within 5 minutes of the restart, again Griffiths the marksman, leaving the midlander’s in raptures and Canterbury with a mountain to climb.

Canterbury could well have rolled over at this stage, but what ensued was a belligerent performance that saw the home side mount wave after wave of pressure.Chris Bassano-Harper’s penalty corner conversion in the 42^nd minute gave his side hope, but Canterbury were unable to breach the Beeston defence again.

The result was put beyond doubt in the dying minutes when James McBlane followed up at a penalty corner to give Beeston a deserved, but flattering victory.

An improved performance on that of the previous week was not enough for Canterbury to take any points from this fixture, but it can be said that Beeston warranted the spoils for their precision and ability to take their chances.

As a side, Canterbury’s discipline was greatly improved and the effects of this disseminated into their general play.Morten Pedersen continued his good early season form for the home side, whilst Adam Dixon produced a controlled display for the visitors.

Canterbury now travel to Surbiton, who have achieved maximum points from their first two outings and will look to kick-start their campaign at a venue which has been fruitful in previous years.

Squad: Bassano-Harper, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Farrar, Garcia, Hare S, Harper, Hayward, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R, Richford, Stevens.

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v Surbiton, (Away), 07/08/07.

Lost 0 - 1

An evenly balanced affair tilted the way of the form side on a sunny afternoon in South-West London. James Mulcair’s 46^th minute goal was all that separated the two sides on the day, but left them very much poles apart in the league table by the end.

With two wins from their opening two fixtures, Surbiton came into the match with momentum. The best chances of the first period fell to the home side, but wasteful finishing and the good form of Ben Cowling in the Canterbury goal let the visitors off the hook. However, it proved to be the case that Canterbury would return the favour in kind later on in the match.

Canterbury had been weakened on the morning of the fixture by the late withdrawal of recently engaged Jess Dowsing, who had scored in both games the previous weekend. Coach Darryl Cassidy took his place in the squad, but he was in no state of mind to play following the defeat of the All Blacks to the French the day before.

Without their international crop, Surbiton appeared an efficient and hard-working unit, well marshalled by player-coach Karl Stagno. His opposite number on the day, Brian Garcia, added a semblance of control to the Canterbury midfield and was well supported by Stewart Keir and Rob Pryce on either side. However, Canterbury’s first half attacking forays were snuffed out by the well drilled home defence.

Despite the home sides chances, the first period brought no goals and at the break it would have been Canterbury who were the happier with that statistic. However, any feeling the visitors may have had that a change in their fortunes was about to arrive was dealt a hammer blow when Mulcair rolled the ball into the net. Cowling’s initial save saw the ball lodge somewhere in his protective kit, only for it to subsequently squirm out and land at Mulcair’s feet for the simplest of tap ins.

The remaining 25 minutes saw Canterbury enjoy their best spell of the game, winning penalty corners and creating chances. The pressure created never came to fruition though and an inability to produce anything meaningful in the D cost the visitors any hope of an equaliser. As the final whistle went, Canterbury were left to rue another missed opportunity.

Next weekend sees Canterbury host Havant and East Grinstead in what promises to be an exciting and crucial weekend in their season.

Squad: Bassano-Harper, Cassidy, Cowling, Dunn, Farrar, Garcia, Hare S, Harper, Hayward, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R, Richford, Stevens.

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Canterbury Men’s 1s v Loughborough Students - Lost 2 - 6

Canterbury slumped to their second successive 6-2 defeat and suffered the ignominy of representing the foot of the table as Bowdon collected their first points of the year.

Following Leigh Barratt’s effort, only a single score separated the sides with 15 minutes remaining, but the Students punished their guests errors at this most crucial of stages to romp home in emphatic style.

An even first half which saw few chances and a consolidated defensive effort from Canterbury came alive in the 30^th minute when Loughborough old boy Rob Pryce produced a stunning goal with his first shot of the season. A half-time lead seemed inevitable for the visitors, but with seconds of the first period remaining they naively conceded a penalty corner which Richard Smith converted to take his side level.

The second half saw the match assume a completely different complexion to that of the first.Unable to find any fluency in their play, Canterbury were pegged back by the Students who grasped control. They deservedly went ahead in the 45^th minute and then doubled their lead in the 52^nd, with goals from James Osborn and Robert Smith.

Canterbury halved their deficit when with the ‘keeper out of the frame Barratt rolled the ball in to an open net, but then fell apart in the final 15 minutes allowing Chris Gregg, Richard Smith and Dave Beckett to contribute to Loughborough’s tally.

Canterbury paid the price for an inability to compete for the full period and now sit at the foot of the table, still searching for their first points after 6 games.

The Kent side now have a week off before taking on Bowdon, placed directly above them in the league, in a fortnight’s time at Polo Farm.

Squad: Barratt, Bassano-Harper, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Farrer, Hare S, Harper, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R, Richford, Stevens, Wild.

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v East Grinstead, (Home), 13/10/07  -  Lost 2 - 6

Canterbury’s second home fixture of the weekend ended in defeat as East Grinstead struck hardest when and where it mattered.

Still searching for their first points of the year and looking to bounce back after the previous days disappointment, Canterbury knew that their perpetual indoor rivals would pose an equally strong test in the alfresco version of the game.It was to be the case.

Disorganisation at a D-edge free hit saw Scott Ashdown presented with a free shot after 5 minutes with which he made no mistake.Then, in the 17^th minute Mark Justice was the beneficiary of an East Grinstead overload in the Canterbury defence and his shot found the goal after Adrian Kimber could only half-stop the effort.Gallingly, this came during a period of numerical advantage for the home side after Darren Cheeseman had thrown away his stick and man-handled Darryl Cassidy in an earlier altercation.Cheeseman was arguably lucky to escape with only a temporary exclusion for the act.

Goals aside, there was little to choose between the two sides in the first period, but with results decided on what happens in the D’s, East Grinstead were the team in charge.

Canterbury’s response after half-time was exactly what was required if they were to give themselves any chance.Controlled and measured, they were rewarded within 5 minutes when Christian Pryce scored his second of the weekend at a penalty corner.

With the home side in the ascendency the next critical event knocked them not only down, but as it transpired, totally out.

A foul on a Canterbury defender was ignored by the umpire who then compounded the home side’s misery by awarding a penalty stroke after what appeared a clean tackle by the goal scorer Pryce.Richard Payne converted the stroke to leave Canterbury 3-1 down, a deficit from which they never recovered.Danny Hall confirmed the result with two goals in as many minutes to render Matt Harper’s 61^st minute strike a consolation effort.Hall then completed a 15 minute hat-trick in the 67^th minute and inflicted upon Canterbury their heaviest margin of defeat this season.

An objective onlooker would concur that for long patches Canterbury were equal to their guests, if not better.However, they would also agree that where it counted, East Grinstead were on another level to that of their hosts and rightly left with the spoils.

Next week Canterbury must regroup to take on the improving Loughborough Students before facing Cambridge City in the National Cup on Sunday.

Squad: Bassano-Harper, Cassidy, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Farrer, Garcia, Hare S, Harper, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R, Richford, Stevens.

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v Havant, (Home), 13/10/07  Lost 5 - 8

High-scoring Havant inflicted defeat on a struggling Canterbury at Polo Farm on Saturday.The home side conceded 8 times following the previous week’s tight defensive performance and must wonder why they can’t achieve the levels of consistency and performance that they know they are capable of.

In a first half that yielded 8 goals, both sides enjoyed the lead.It was the visitors who were the first to hold the advantage, Ben Alberry converting from the penalty spot after the ball had struck a defenders leg en route to goal.

Within 5 minutes the score line favoured with Canterbury, with Chris Bassano-Harper and Brian Garcia both netting for the home side.This lead was to be short lived as poor defending allowed Thornton Mcdade an unopposed reverse-stick shot and then Egyptian international Ahmed Ezz Mohamed fired his side infront.

Parity was temporarily restored courtesy of Matt Harper’s deflection, but ex-Great Britain penalty corner specialist Calum Giles gave his side a two goal cushion going into half time with two well placed flicks.

To achieve a positive result from the game, Canterbury need to halt the flow of goals and the second half started brightly.However, 3 goals within 15 minutes of the restart, a brace of corner strikes from Giles and an unstoppable half volley from Mohamed, left the home side with too much to do.

Disenchantment was more than obvious in some of the Canterbury players and Christian Pryce spent time suspended from the game for dissent.Mohamed also spent some time with the Delegate for a bad tackle, but by this stage the game was over.

Pryce’s strike in the 54^th minute proved to be little more than a consolation for his side and Canterbury were left to ponder a heavy defeat, inflicted by a side that once again were hungrier for victory and more clinical on the day.

Frustratingly, Canterbury dominated for periods of the game but find themselves still searching for the missing ingredient that can turn these periods into critical, match winning situations.

Squad: Bassano-Harper, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Farrer, Garcia, Hare S, Harper, Hayward, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R, Richford, Stevens.

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v Bowdon, (Home), 3/11/07.

Won2 - 0

Canterbury’s first points of the season elevated them from the foot of the table and disseminated a feeling of relief through the squad and spectators alike.

In an even match which saw neither side take many risks, Canterbury held their nerve to score twice late in the game and seal an important victory.

Anything other than a draw in the game would see the Kent side either six points adrift of Bowdon at the foot of the table or move them level on points but with the potential to go above their rivals by virtue of a superior goal difference.

The game saw few chances for either side, notably so in the first period.Canterbury’s best chances came at penalty corners, however Chris Bassano-Harper failed to hit the target with his effort and Brian Garcia was unlucky when the ball was scrambled off the line by a defender following his shot.Bowdon could have led at the break had it not been for a fine diving stick save by Adrian Kimber, the big ‘keeper dropping athletically low to his right.

Having looked solid and not conceded, at half-time Canterbury realised that the game was up for grabs.The second half followed a similar pattern to that of the first until Rob Pryce was enigmatically sent off, much to the bemusement of those present.Concern gripped many that as in previous weeks Canterbury would not react well to this adversity, but despite a nervy few minutes the home side did not allow Bowdon to capitalise on their numerical advantage.

With the game approaching its final ten minutes, Matt Harper perspicaciously opted not to shoot when the opportunity presented itself and took his time in slotting the ball past the Bowdon ‘keeper.Knowing that the onus was now on the visitors to find an equaliser, Canterbury became compact in defence and weathered the next five minutes, consolidating their lead.Then with four minutes remaining a Canterbury counter-attack resulted in the acquitted Pryce tangling with ‘keeper and defender in the Bowdon ‘D’ before the ball broke kindly to Andrew Dunn who had the easy task of firing into an open goal.

Just needing to see out the final few minutes to record their first win of the season it was fitting that Canterbury’s two stand out players, Brian Garcia and Ed Butcher, should control the ball, running the clock down for a significant portion of this period.

Squad: Barratt, Bassano-Harper, Butcher, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Farrer, Garcia, Hare S, Harper, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R, Richford.

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Canterbury Men’s 1st XI

v Beeston, (Away), 11/11/07 - Lost 4 - 5

Canterbury conspired to throw away three points allowing Beeston to complete a late comeback and win a close match at Highfields.

Goals in the last 10 minutes from Adam Dixon and then a winner by Chris Seddon were enough for the home side to steal victory as Cantebury failed to close out the game.

Things started brightly for the visitors, who were 2-0 within 11 minutes courtesy of goals from Matt Harper and Chris Bassano-Harper.However, as has happened too often already this season, Canterbury allowed their opposition to pull a goal back within minutes of scoring themselves.On this occasion it was Mohammed Nadeem who was allowed an all too easy path to goal and his reverse stick shot left Adrian Kimber little chance in the Canterbury goal.

The remainder of the first period saw the two sides grind out chances and vie for territory, but neither side could budge the score line.

The second half came to life even more quickly than the first, with Jess Dowsing’s neat chip over Tom Skinner in the Beeston goal restoring his side’s 2-goal cushion.Again weak defending cost Canterbury as David Griffiths was allowed to slide in and convert a seemingly innocuous cross, but Matt Harper replied almost immediately with a cool finish to put his side 4-2 up.

Needing a period of consolidation to take a grip of the game, Canterbury committed the cardinal sin of once more allowing Beeston an instant route back into the match.Increasingly frustrating for the Kent side was that it was dissent shown by Rob Pryce which caused the umpire to upgrade a free hit to the penalty corner that Dixon converted.

When Simon Hare’s shot struck the bar and Rob Pryce missed the far post by a whisker it could be argued that the portent for what was to happen had been shown.

7 minutes remained when Dixon levelled the scores and then heart-breakingly for the visitors Seddon converted with 4 minutes remaining to give Beeston the lead for the first and most important time in the game.

Canterbury’s misery was sealed when Pryce saw an almost identical shot to his earlier miss the same post by the same margin and the Kent side had to make the long journey home with nothing to show for their endeavour.

Squad: Barratt, Bassano-Harper, Butcher, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Farrer, Hare S, Harper, Hudson, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R.

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v Cannock, (Home), 25/11/07.

Lost 2 – 3
 
A poor quality affair equitably swung the way of the visitors and left Canterbury languishing 4 points adrift at the foot of the table. 
 
The first period produced only a solitary score.  A goalmouth scramble saw Matt Harper apply the final touch to give the home side the lead at the interval.  However, this strike purely served to mask what had been a lacklustre encounter between two sides both apparently struggling to get out of second gear.
 
Cannock lacked their usual edge and their unexpected recent defeats suggest that this hasn't been the first time this season that it has been absent.  While Canterbury repeatedly made basic errors, Cannock failed to capitalise and spurned chance after chance in front of goal.  The visitors weren't wholly to blame for their blank score-sheet, as Canterbury 'keeper Adrian Kimber continued his recent form in making two or three exceptional saves that were the icing on top of a solid all round performance.
 
Cannock’s equaliser arrived in the 42^nd minute when Michael Johnson put away a rebound at a penalty corner.Almost instantly the visitors found themselves in the lead as Gareth Andrew beat Kimber in open play and Cannock had finally appeared to have found their goal-scoring touch.

Canterbury, who had improved as the match went on, were thrown a life-line in the 58^th minute when Chris Bassano-Harper made the score 2-2, but Simon Ramsden finally produced at a penalty corner, to leave the home side trailing once more.

This time there was to be no way back for Canterbury and Cannock took the three points.Although Canterbury will feel they could have snatched a draw, Cannock would justifiably have felt aggrieved not to have left with the spoils.

Canterbury’s final game before the Christmas break sees them travel to Havant next week.

Squad: Barratt, Bassano-Harper, Butcher, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Farrer, Goninon, Hare S, Harper, Hudson, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R.

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v Reading, (Away), 18/11/07.

Lost 0 – 3

A brave effort could not prevent Canterbury sliding to a 3-0 defeat to league leaders Reading.

With the home side having achieved victory on all of their previous outings this season, Canterbury knew that they would need to be at their very best to take anything from the game.For 67 minutes the visitors staunchly held their opposition, largely thanks to a strong performance in goal by Adrian Kimber, but were unable to convert any of the chances they created.Two late goals by the home side finally removed any hopes Canterbury had of snatching a point and preserved Reading’s impressive record.

Aware that their chances would be few, Canterbury failed to convert all that they did produce.A brace of penalty corners, missed opportunities at the back post and a breakdown in communication accounted for the visitors openings.However, with Kimber in fine form it wasn’t until Austin Smith’s two penalty corner efforts in the last three minutes adding to Warren D’Souza’s 20^th minute strike that the result was decided.

A swift sweeping move by the home side presented D’Souza with the chance to tap into an empty net but Canterbury were able to regroup and produced their best chance of the game which ended in Simon Hare and Chris Bassano-Harper both attempting to shoot and ultimately denying each other any connection with the ball.

Reading posed a constant threat and were able to control dealings for the majority of the game.Their best efforts were either wasted or found Kimber equal to the task.The tension rose towards the end of the game as Canterbury created half chances, but the home side sealed the win they deserved late on in the proceedings.

Bowdon’s defeat of Hampstead leaves Canterbury bottom of the pile once more, but helps to keep Hampstead in the relegation battle.Next week sees Canterbury take on Cannock at Polo Farm in the now seemingly habitual President’s Day game.

Squad: Barratt, Bassano-Harper, Butcher, Cowling, Dowsing, Dunn, Farrer, Hare S, Harper, Hayward, Hudson, Keir, Kimber, Pedersen, Pryce C, Pryce R.

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