Oustanding Venner grabs hat-trick as Coventry run riot

■By PAUL SMITH

Coventry ………. 64pts

Tries: Venner 4, 22, 41; Salt 28, Poole 32, Hitchcock 38, 49, Wand 68, Wilson 76, Martin 78

Conversions: Pellegrini 4, 22, 28, 32, 41, Mitchell 68, 78

Cambridge ……. 12pts

Tries: Bretag-Norris 58, Vanes 70

Conversions: James 58

THE quick feet of recent acquisition Toby Venner claimed a hat-trick for Coventry who scored 10 tries in an eye-catching display of attacking rugby against struggling Cambridge.

On-loan Ealing Trailfinders centre Tom Hitchcock also grabbed a brace for Alex Rae's team who simply had too much pace and ambition for opponents who responded twice in the second half through driving lineout scores.

Former Scotland flyhalf Gordon Ross, who now coaches Coventry's backs, was delighted by his team's fifth successive win.

“It was a great effort from all the boys, any time you score 60 points you have to be happy,” he said. “Toby is very quick and he poses a real threat to defenders around the fringes. He worked really hard all week in training and deserved his tries tonight which he took very well.”

Venner opened Coventry's account in the early stages with a close-range dart but it took the blueand-whites a while to settle following a week without rugby.

His second try, which came from a sublime Tiki Nayalo offload early in the second quarter, gave the Butts Park Arena faithful a good look at his pace off the mark.

When prop Eliot Salt and skipper Jordon Poole then crossed in quick succession either side of the half-hour mark the hosts had the try bonus point in the bag.

And Hitchcock's sublime one-handed pick-up and powerful burst to the whitewash sent Coventry into the break 33 points to the good.

Whatever plan Cambridge hatched during the interval was immediately ripped up as Pat Pellegrini broke from the tail of a midfield lineout to within a few metres of the visitors' line from where Venner did the rest.

Hitchcock's second try in the left corner came after Coventry winger Ryan Hutler seemed certain to score on the other flank before a loose pass thwarted his support.

Seven Coventry replacements were now on the field and Cambridge took advantage of their hosts' resulting loss of rhythm to drive skipper George Bretag-Norris over.

But Coventry quickly hit back through outstanding former Cambridge centre Will Wand's 12th try of the season after the visitors turned possession over in the Coventry half and Tom Ball then carried strongly.

Another powerful lineout drive saw replacement hooker Archie Vanes record a second try for the blood and sand before Coventry sent their fans home happy with further scores from replacement fly-half Tobi Wilson and wing Jimmy Martin who recovered a loose pass to race 80 metres to the posts.