KENT 29 DEVON 27

A try with the last play of the game by Barnstaple winger Jack Bond secured Devon two vital bonus points which should keep them in the top tier of the County Championship.

The two points they collected at Aylesford were enough for Devon to finish with a better record over the past two seasons than Surrey, who did surprise Gloucestershire on Saturday.

After not picking up any points last year on their return to the top flight, Devon have claimed seven this time around from their games against Kent, Cornwall and Gloucestershire.

“We are going in the right direction,” said Devon’s chairman of representative rugby Jeremy Chugg. “We beat Cornwall and only narrowly lost to Gloucestershire and Kent. That gives us good momentum going into next year.”

Chugg was delighted with the character Devon showed when they went 29-13 down with less than 15 minutes to go at Kent.

“We had 10 minutes where we conceded two tries and that could have turned into five or six, but the lads did not let their heads go down and they got back into the game,” he said. “They did everything they possible could to get us something out of that game.”

He added: “If you were a neutral it was a brilliant game to watch. It was end-to-end stuff, but defence was good by both sides. It was a big pitch, a hot day and people were flagging but no-one gave up, both sides tackled well and gave it everything.”

Devon did not have the best of starts at Aylesford. They lost fly-half Tom Putt to an early injury and conceded a try on eight minutes when Canterbury scrum-half Dan Smart went over for a well-taken score.

Kent were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes when Hugh McCormick-Huston was sin-binned.

Just before he returned, the visitors cut the gap to 5-3 with a penalty by replacement Oli Cave, but within minutes Frank Reynolds had kicked one for Kent after George Wilson was sin-binned.

Devon levelled the match at 8-8 when winger Bond crossed in the corner after some great handling by the visitors.

And it got better for the Green and Whites when they scored a second try just before half-time through Billy Pinkus to go in at the break 13-8 up.

Kent made a great start to the second period and scored an impressive try, which started in their own 22 and finished with Westcombe Park forward Charlie O’Sullivan going over under the posts for an easy conversion for Ryan Redman.

With the game evenly poised, both teams tried to find the next score, but great defence kept the score at 15-13.

As the half went on Kent turned up the pressure and Devon had Aiden Taylor sin-binned. While the visitors were a man down, the hosts scored two quick trip through pro Aaron Cooper and winger Jordan Earle. Both were converted by Redman to make it 29-13.

However, Devon refused to give up and five minutes from time George Snell crossed for their third try and replacement Glenn Channing added the conversion.

Kent then had full-back Elliott Simmons yellow carded and with the last play of the game, Bond scored and Channing converted to rescue two vital bonus points.

Kent: E Simmonds (Blackheath), R Reybe (Charlton Park), J Lloyd (Blackheath), F Morgan Jnr (Canterbury), J Earle (Cranbrook), F Reynolds (Tunbridge Wells), D Smart (Canterbury),  A Cooper (Canterbury), H Fry (capt, Blackheath), K Scutt (Blackheath), L Coughlan (Sicup), C O’Sullivan (Westcombe Park), H McCormick-Huston (Old Colfeians), 7 M Hathaway (Tunbridge Wells),  J Catt (Blackheath). Reps M Perks (Blackheath), B Bratton (Tonbridge Juddians), T Read (Charlton Park), D Irvine (Tonbridge Juddians), N Doherty (Tunbridge Wells), S Garofalo (Medway), R Redman (Tonbridge Juddians).

Scores: tries: Smart; O’Sullivan, Read, Earle; cons: Redman 2; pen: Reynolds

Yellow cards: McCormick-Huston, Simmons

Devon: C Briant (Ivybridge), J Bond (Barnstaple), B Pinkus (Ivybridge),M Grieveson (Ivybridge), J Toogood (Ivybridge, T Putt (Brixham), B Watts (Ivybridge), G Snell (Bideford), A Taylor (Plymstock Albion Oaks),T White (Newton Abbot),N Hannay (capt, Honiton), G Wilson (Ivybridge), T Coats (Plymstock Albion Oaks), D Abrams (Okehampton), H Wright (Honiton). Reps: L Paterson (Ivybridge), W Vermingle (Ivybridge), B King (Ivybridge), A Taylor (Withycombe), C Cload (Plymstock Albion Oaks), O Cave (Honiton), G Channing (Withycombe).

Scores:  tries: Bond 2, Pinkus, Snell; cons: Channing 2 pen: Cave

Yellow cards: Wilson, Taylor

Referee: G Selwood (RFU)