LIAM Richman kicked a penalty at the death to earn Coventry Rugby a hard-fought 17-15 victory away at Caldy.
Richman held his nerve to kick the ball between the posts on 79 minutes after Tom Hitchcock and teenage debutant Dan Green dotted down either side of half time at Paton Field.
The result means Coventry remain top of the Championship table, two points clear of closest challengers Ealing Trailfinders.
Alex Rae’s side went behind for the first time this season on 24 minutes when Mike Cartmill scored the game’s first try after Cov missed a tackle at the back of a lineout.
However, the visitors responded with a try of their own five minutes later as Hitchcock touched down following a break from Tiki Nayalo with Tom Ball in support.
And Richman duly kicked the conversion to put Cov into a two-point lead after Lewis Barker failed to convert Caldy’s earlier try.
Caldy then lost Matt Gallagher to the sin-bin after he failed to retreat 10-metres before tackling Josh Barton who tapped a penalty deep inside the home side’s 22.
However, Caldy held firm with Coventry unable to make the extra man count despite Rae emptying his bench by the hour mark.
With Caldy back to full strength, the home side reclaimed the lead on 59 minutes as replacement hooker Ollie Hearn applied the finishing touch to a powerful lineout maul and Barker converted.
Cov edged back in front on 68 minutes when the visitors shunted 19-year-old Green over the line after good work from Matt Kvesic with Richman adding the extras.
The lead changed hands for a fourth time on 75 minutes as Barker slotted a well-struck penalty through the posts from 35-metres out following a high tackle.
However, there was still time for one final twist when Richman kicked a penalty between the posts on the angle from 30-metres out after Caldy were penalised at the breakdown.
Coventry are next in action against Nottingham in the Premiership Rugby Cup on Friday, November 1 with kick-off at 7.45pm at the Lady Bay Ground.
