Cinderford’s hopes of easing their relegation fears with a first win at Coventry’s Butts Park Arena ground ended in disappointment, but they did pick up two bonus points.
The home side made all the early running and were 15-0 ahead in as many minutes with pacy winger Dominic Lespiere scoring twice, along with a conversion and penalty from Carolan Ryan. Restored to 15 men, following a yellow card for Callum Sheedy, Cinderford responded with a well taken try from Sam Baker. The visitors then went through the phases and eventually created the opportunity for Nev Codlin to cross for a try which Sheedy converted to cut the gap to three, but Lespiere completed his ‘hat-trick’ in added time at the end of the first-half.
Coventry were soon pressing forward in the second-half, but when the ball went lose Sam Hanks gathered up and he put Mike Wilcox away for a try to put Cinderford back in contention. Ryan put over another penalty, following a yellow card for Tom Bozzard, and he then converted a penalty try awarded as the visitors scrum came under pressure near their own posts.
Cinderford refused to give up hope though, and Baker crossed for his second and the bonus point try, which Sheedy converted to put them back in range, before a late exchange of penalties between Ryan and Sheedy completed the scoring.
Cinderford; Mike Wilcox (Capt.), Harrison Yorke, Nev Codlin, Sam Hanks, Sam Baker, Callum Sheedy, Alex Frame, Derrick Appiah, Tom Bozzard, Elliot Booley, Ed King, Roger Birkin, Adam Balding, George Mills, Matt Lane. Reps: Chris Bundy, Davy McGregor, Marcus Brown, Jack Shields, Dan Pointon.