1 day Ago By [email protected] (Thomas Reeves)
It proved a fitting end of an era at Canterbury Rugby Club as they secured a fourth-placed finish with a home win. Matt Corker’s men completed an impressive National League 2 East double against second-placed Dorking with a 42-35 victory last weekend. That came after Canterbury had edged past the Surrey side 35-34 in December and was a final first-team match at Merton Lane for departing chairman Giles Hilton while two stalwart players turned out in their last first-team home fixtures, as well.
Head coach Corker said: “I challenged the players to have their best game of the season. “It was Giles’ last home game as chairman and, for Tom Best and Danny Herriott, it was their last home games as first-team players. "There was a lot of emotion around the club and on the pitch.
” Centre Best has spent more than a decade at the city club and enjoyed his 300th first-team appearance in January 2024 , with former Northampton Saints tighthead prop forward Herriott - an England youth-team international - having become a crucial Canterbury figure. “I played a lot of games with Tom Best,” said former lock Corker. “To play more than 600 games over a 16-year span, that’s some contribution.
“It felt like a good way to send Tom off - and Danny, too. “Ever since he has been with us, he has been a cornerstone of the pack. “The last play of the game was a scrum.
We were seven points ahead, anyway, but it was one of the best scrums I’ve ever seen! “It was a really great day for the club. With it being the last home game of the season, we invite all the sponsors. “We had 400 people there for the lunch and the players felt a responsibility to put in a good performance.
” Frank Morgan, Aiden Moss, Harry Sloan, Tyler Oliver and Eoin O’Donoghue dotted down in front of a large crowd. Canterbury conclude the campaign at relegated Colchester next Saturday..
