By Paul Smith 
A powerful second half in which their lineout and maul played significant parts clinched Coventry a hard-earned bonus-point win at Ampthill.
After going behind to an early Kennedy Sylvester touch-down, Cov built a five-point interval advantage through tries from Suva Ma’asi, Will Lane and Ryan Hutler.
Brandon Jackson had by then added a second score for the Bedfordshire-based hosts who took the lead for a third time early in the second half through Reggie Hammick’s long-distance effort.
But thereafter Coventry’s pack took control and with the Mob losing two players to the sin bin and conceding 12 second-half penalties the game was eventually secured by Tommy Mathews’ penalty and Tom Hitchcock’s late try.
As a result Alex Rae’s table-topping team erased the memory of last season’s Dillingham Park setback and extended their winning league run to six ahead of next Saturday’s BPA clash with Hartpury.
Playing with the support of a gusty breeze Cov found themselves on the wrong side of the referee’s whistle in an opening period largely played between the two 22-metre lines.
When Ampthill no.8 Lekima Ravuvu escaped down their right the hosts built a lengthy attack that ended with visiting centre Hitchcock being yellow carded for a deliberate knock down.
And the hosts took advantage of their numerical superiority to release Sione Vaenuku deep into Cov territory then work the ball to the opposite flank where the supporting Sylvester forced his way over for a try that fly half Josh Barton converted.
Cov responded almost immediately through a fine score finished by Ma’asi who was lurking on the left wing to benefit from a long Tiki Nayalo pass following David Opoku’s break.
After the pacy Opoku was denied a seemingly certain score by a brilliant piece of cover defence from the corner-flagging Jackson, Cov’s forwards drove a lineout diagonally fully 20 metres for Lane to dot down a try that Mathews improved.
However, the Blue-and-Whites’ advantage was short-lived since a missed tackle on halfway allowed Ampthill scrum half Roan Frostwick and Sione Va’enuku to send Jackson to the posts for a score that Barton again upgraded.
The fifth score of an entertaining half went to the visitors whose lineout drive again made good progress before a long pass allowed Hutler to step inside for a try that Mathews converted.
This left Cov with a 14-19 interval advantage but now playing with the wind Ampthill soon took advantage of a turnover to send Hammick racing 30 metres to the line for a try to which Barton added the extras.
Having twice previously opted not to take three points from the tee, as the contest entered the fourth quarter skipper Jordon Poole asked Mathews to edge the visitors back ahead with a well-struck 37-metre penalty.
Cov’s forwards then turned the screw and as a result Ampthill lost replacement hooker James Isaacs to the sin bin after they repeatedly infringed inside their own 22.
Another long spell of Blue-and-White pressure then ended with Hitchcock going over for the bonus-point clinching try and home centre Ollie Hartley receiving a yellow card for his deliberate knock-down earlier in the move.
The missed conversion left Ampthill within range and although their 13 players managed to force a couple of penalties, the visitors held firm to take their league tally to 29 points from a possible 30.
Line-Ups:
Ampthill: McNulty (Mitchell 62); Vaenuku, Hartley, Strachan (Clark 62), Jackson; Barton, Frostwick (Murphy 64); Courtney (Barrington 51), Thompson (Issacs 51), Johnston (Flynn 79); Sylvester, King (Thomas 79); Hammick, Blackmore (West 64), Ravuvu
Coventry: Martin; Hutler, Tiueti, Hitchcock, Opoku (Robson 50); Mathews, Lane (Barton 54); Trinder (McEachran 72), Poole (Biggs 62), Johnson (Salt 62); Tyas (Anstey 54), Nayalo (Nkwocha 49); Ball, Ma’asi (Owen 54), Kvesic
Referee: Charles Gayther
Half-Time: Ampthill 14-19Coventry Rugby
Scorers:
Ampthill:
Tries: Sylvester (16), Jackson (35), Hammock (52)
Conversions: Barton (16) (35) (52)
Coventry:
Tries: Ma’asi (19), Lane (33), Hutler (37), Hitchcock (76)
Conversions: Mathews (33) (37)
Penalties: Mathews (61)
