By Paul Smith 
Coventry kept their Premiership Rugby Cup quarter-final qualification hopes very much alive by claiming a comfortable eleven-try 76-21 home win over East Midlands’ rivals Nottingham.
Jimmy Martin led the way by claiming a 19-minute hat-trick either side of half-time while the outstanding Tommy Mathews kicked nine conversions and a penalty to finish with a personal haul of 21 points.
There were also try-doubles for late stand-in Tom Hitchcock plus replacements Will Biggs and Josh Barton as Cov matched their 38-point interval tally after the break.
The Blue-and-Whites now travel to Franklin’s Gardens to face English champions Northampton next Saturday knowing that a win will set up a thrilling pool-stage finale when Leicester visit the Butts Park Arena seven days later.
On-loan Exeter scrum-half Sam Maunder marked his first Coventry start by getting the Blue-and-Whites underway by adding a simple finish to Tiki Nayalo’s break.
But after former Cov no.9 Toby Venner almost got over from a quickly-tapped penalty the Archers got back on level terms through full-back Jack Stapley.
Cov’s Fijian no.8 contributed his second ‘assist’ of the afternoon via a break from the base of a close-range scrum which left Tom Hitchcock to power over.
And Daf Tiueti soon followed his centre partner on to the scoresheet after a pair of strong forward carries created space in midfield.
Cov lost prop Toby Trinder to a yellow card early in the second quarter when referee Charlie Gayther tired of their rising penalty count and the visitors took immediate advantage by shunting hooker Jack Dickinson over for their second try.
After a simple Mathews penalty extended the home side’s advantage to ten points, Cov banked a try bonus point shortly after the half-hour mark when Ryan Hutler read Gwyn Parks’ ambitious kick pass and released Martin to the corner.
Cov’s left winger quickly doubled up when he applied the finishing touch to a fine move launched on the opposite flank by David Opoku’s outside break and continued by long passes from Mathews and Jordon Poole.
Mathews added a fine touchline conversion to his five earlier well-judged efforts to maintain a 100 per cent first-half record from the tee and send Cov into the break with a 20-point advantage.
Left-winger Martin took his seasonal tally to eight when Hutler’s well-timed pass sent him over for his hat-trick score ten minutes after the restart.
Biggs then scored twice from close-range either side of Nottingham’s third score which was touched down by skipper Nathan Tweedy following a powerful lineout drive.
And Cov added three further cherries to the cake in the closing stages as Hitchcock forced his way to the clubhouse corner then Barton powered over from a five-metre scrum before poaching an interception and racing to the posts.
Line-Ups:
Coventry: Hutler (Lane 60); Opoku, Hitchcock, Tiueti (Mannion 60), Martin; Mathews, Maunder (Barton 54); Trinder (Warren 54), Poole (Biggs 54), Salt (Nairau 54); Nkwocha, Tyas; Ball, Hinkley (Okeke 50), Nayalo (Anstey 54)
Nottingham: Stapley; Graham, A. Johal (Willott 65), Roper (Pohe 57), Olowofela (J. Johal 50); Parks, Venner (Yarnell 49); Sio (Owen 52), Dickinson, Valentine (Loman 50); Ecclesfield, Ferreira (Thomas 54); Vereti (Cherry 54), Tweedy, Wright
Referee: Charlie Gayther
Half-Time: Coventry 38-14 Nottingham
Attendance: 2232
Scorers and times:
Coventry:
Tries: Maunder (3) Hitchcock (15) (72) Tiueti (20) Martin (32) (38) (50) Biggs (59) (66) Barton (78) (80)
Conversions: Mathews (3) (15) (20) (32) (38) (59) (66) (78) (80)
Penalty: Mathews (28)
Nottingham:
Tries: Stapley (8) Dickinson (25) Tweedy (63)
Conversions: Parks (8) (25) (63)
