Old Centralians III 23
Coney Hill III 19
Old Centralians recovered from a 19-9 half-time deficit to break Coney Hill's stranglehold on the Glanville Cup, writes Ross Martinovic.
Simon Ellacot's try, in addition to 14 points from the boot of Ryan Barnett, had put Hill in control at the interval, Centralians' response coming via three Craig Anderson penalties.
But quick-fire tries at the start of the second half from Akeron Jackson and Matt Humphries were enough for Centralians to deny their opponents the trophy for the first time since 2008.
Both sides enjoyed early spells of possession, with Barnett and Anderson trading straightforward penalties in the opening seven minutes.
Barnett then struck from wide to edge Coney Hill in front, before lock Ellacot barged his way over from a tapped penalty five metres out to grab the first try of the day on 24 minutes, converted by the former.
Anderson and Barnett continued their personal duel, kicking two penalties apiece before half time to maintain Hill's 10-point lead.
But the turning point arrived 10 minutes after the restart when Centralians stunned the defending champions with two converted tries in as many minutes.
The first came after flanker Rob Pinkney released Humphries on the left with a well-timed pass.
The winger chipped ahead, won the ensuing foot race and looked set to pounce, but although he dived over the top of the ball, Jackson was on hand to finish the chance and Anderson improved.
From the subsequent kickoff, Hill dropped a clearance kick and replacement Oliver Townsend gathered and raced away.
He was denied by a fantastic covering tackle from Omar Ferguson, who then also hauled down Brynne Cresswell, but a huge overlap had already appeared and Hill were powerless to stop Humphries from crossing near the posts.
With both sides beginning to tire and nerves fraying, the game struggled for continuity as the clock ticked into the final quarter.
An infrequent period of sustained pressure from Centralians brought a yellow card for Coney Hill prop Blane Gammon after a number of warnings from referee Huw Bowles.
Centralians failed to make their superior numbers count, but the Painswick Road outfit withstood a late burst from their opponents to lift their first ever Glanville Cup.
OLD CENTRALIANS: W Humphries; M Humphries, L Cameron, M Darby, A Jackson; C Anderson, G Preece; M Vye, R Stokes, J Elliott; J Masters, M Owen; R Pinkney, B Cresswell, M Fritchley. Reps: B Hogben, R Creese, O Townsend, D Harper, A Griffiths
CONEY HILL: Tom Bebber; L Thomas, L Neal, S Morgan, M Jones; R Barnett, Tony Bebber; B Gammon, R Jones, G Tippins; A Buckley, S Ellacot; I Kennady, L Mann, O Ferguson Reps: G Hall, L Downer, R Trigg, G Preen
Referee: Huw Bowles (Gloucester & District)
