Canterbury produced a brave performance to push runaway National 2 South leaders Henley Hawks all the way before succumbing 39-24 on Saturday.

With 20 minutes remaining in Oxfordshire the city club were only three points down and in with a real shot of upsetting the Hawks, only for the hosts to rediscover their form and claim two late tries for a flattering margin of victory.

A depleted city club, missing several players through illness and injury, also suffered travel disruption on the way to Henley, and had to field two teenagers in the back row and no recognised hooker.

The hosts opened the scoring within two minutes through Will Woodward, however concerns that the youthful visitors might get overrun were unfounded as Canterbury recovered from 10 minutes on the back-foot to match their opponents for much of the game.

The city club backs paved the way for wing Mason Rosvall to tear through, with Tom Best levelling the scores with the conversion and then slotting a penalty to cancel out a kick from Connor Murphy and make it 10-10.

Canterbury’s pack, featuring Cameron Townley as makeshift hooker and prop Jimmy Green starting for the first time this season, dominated the scrums, but were not rewarded with penalties, and it was the hosts who tore into a 20-10 half-time lead after slack tackling allowed wing Loyd Owen to add a try, converted by Murphy, who also slotted another penalty before the turnaround.

The city club made a slow start to the second-half and were punished by wing Jake Randall, with Murphy’s boot extending the gap to 17 points, however Canterbury replied in fine style, piling on the pressure which saw Henley prop Hugo Milford-Scott sin-binned.

The visitors made them pay with a Martyn Beaumont try after a swift move from a scrum, with Best converting from the touchline, and then a quick break created a second for Rosvall, with the extras reducing the gap to 27-24.

However Henley’s experience told, with forwards George Eastwood and Jimmy Lichfield driving over from close range, with Canterbury falling agonisingly close of a bonus point.