A DOMINANT first-half display from Taunton Titans set them on their way to a bonus-point 30-5 victory over Canterbury at Hyde Park on Saturday.

Buoyed by their dramatic late victory at high-flying Old Elthamians last weekend, the hosts flew out the traps and opened the scoring in style after nine minutes.

Quick thinking from scrum-half Oliver Massy-Birch saw him tap and go when the Titans were awarded a penalty on halfway, and when his chip bounced kindly he was able to claim the ball and sprint clear for the first try of the afternoon.

Gary Kingdom missed the opportunity to add the extras, but he made amends shortly afterwards when he slotted over a penalty to stretch his team's advantage to 8-0 as well as taking his personal points tally past 200 for the season.

Titans were dominant from set-piece situations all afternoon, so it was no surprise when a driving maul from a lineout resulted in their third try.

Hooker Jon Gatford was the beneficiary, finding room among the mass of bodies to touch the ball down and ensure Titans had established a comfortable lead just half an hour in.

Canterbury finally stirred shortly after going 13-0 behind, and it took a last-ditch tackle from Kingdom to prevent winger Guy Hilton bringing the visitors back into the match as half-time approached.

Taunton managed to add a third try to their tally before the interval, with their powerful pack forcing their way over from a scrum five metres out to leave Sammy Prior the simple task of dotting the ball down.

The conversion was again missed, but the half-time whistle blew with the hosts 20-0 ahead.

The second period was a scrappier affair, and Titans were made to pay for a slow start when winger Kieran Thompson went over in the corner to open Canterbury's account for the afternoon.

Thompson nearly doubled his tally but spilled forward in the tackle as he again sprinted clear down the left, one of several promising attacks that came to nothing in a frustrating spell for the visitors.

Having soaked up a spell of pressure, Taunton sealed their bonus point when a delicate Kingdom grubber kick sat up perfectly for Freddie Fraser, who did well to stay inside the touchline as he touched down in the corner.

The extras were again missed and, after a spot of handbags that saw visiting centre Matthew Tichias sin-binned, the home side rounded off the afternoon with a late score to add gloss to the scoreline.

The final try was almost a carbon copy of the third, as another strong drive in the scrum resulted in a simple finish for the number eight, who on this occasion was replacement Arron Gibbs rather than Prior.

Taunton saw out the rest of the game to complete a satisfying victory that came about as a result of a solid all-round team performance.

Up next is a trip to mid-table Clifton before table-toppers Bishops Stortford visit Hyde Park for what should be a cracker in a fortnight's time.