Canterbury blow Colchester away

Canterbury…………..53 Colchester………….. 13

■ By TAFF GWILLIAM

CANTERBURY were in red-hot form on the opening day of the campaign, clocking up seven tries as they brushed aside an overwhelmed Colchester.

Cameron MacMillan got them up and running after a fairly even opening 15, but once the hosts got the bit between their teeth, they proceeded to suffocate their opposition as they put down a marker to the rest of the division.

Aiden Moss and Garry Jones both crossed within the space of five minutes in the lead up to the interval and while they hadn’t quite secured the four-try bonus point – which their possession of the ball merited – Canterbury didn’t have to wait long.

The excellent Eoin O’Donoghue rampaged over twice in quick succession to finally rubber-stamp his side’s authority, Frank Morgan and replacement Thomas Williams also getting in on the act late on.

For Colchester, it’s a case of significant wound-licking ahead of next weekend’s home tie against Tonbridge Juddians – who somewhat ripped up the early-season form book by comfortably beating Dorking – but they took crumbs of comfort in second-half scores from Michael Stanway and Leroy O’Neil.