Birmingham …17
Canterbury343331
CANTERBURY clinched a convincing victory at Portway as Bees slumped to bottom spot in the process.
That was after Canterbury controlled the first half and should have been out of sight by the break.
Bees were pinned back inside their own half for large periods but defended doggedly to keep Canterbury at bay.
But Bees resistance was finally broken on 15 minutes when Canterbury No.8 James Stephens went over from a driving maul.
Fly-half Ollie Best converted and then added a penalty while Bees hit back in unlikely fashion when left wing Matt Dight intercepted a pass close to his own 22 and sprinted away to score.
Canterbury added a crucial second try on the stroke of half-time when Best went over in the corner and then converted from the touchline to put the Kent club 17-7 ahead at half-time.
Best then breezed over for a third Canterbury try on 50 minutes which he also converted following a flowing handling move.
Replacement Stewart Pearl threw Bees some belated hope with a try on 65 minutes before Canterbury replacement Jarvis Otto put the issue beyond doubt with a fourth and bonus-point try on 74 minutes.
Bees bagged a third try late on when Dight squeezed over in the corner for his second score of the game, but it proved too late to salvage a bonus point.
TEAMS
BIRMINGHAM & SOLIHULL Venus; Johns, Kelly, Tilsley, Dight; Jolly, O'Sullivan; Bingham, Willis, Probert; Spink, Weaver; Krawiecki, Scriven, Brown Replacements: Rigby, Pearl, Nunney, Jadwat, Phillips
CANTERBURY: Moss; Mackintosh, Murray, Tom Best, Grimes; Ollie Best, Smart; Green, King, Kenny; Cadman, Corker; Whetton, Roche, Stephens Replacements: Braithwaite, Otto, Little, Sterling, Stapleton
REFEREE: Jamie Leahy
ATTENDANCE: 121
Star man
Aiden Ross – Canterbury
