Canterbury came away from their trip to Hinckley with a losing bonus point and a deep sense of frustration after a 23-17 defeat.

In a game they largely dominated, basic errors and failure to exploit good attacking positions proved costly as their barren New Year run continued in National 2 South.

Three tries were poor reward for the amount of pressure the city club applied but despite enjoying vast chunks of territory, they squandered their advantages by giving Hinckley's flawless goal kicker Guy Swadling too many chances to put the boot in.

In a dominant first-half show, Canterbury managed only two tries through Tiwa Obisesan and prop Jimmy Stanford and were restricted to a four-point lead.

Hinckley were no more than workmanlike and after the break and relied on drives and mauls to make progress but Andy Pratt's try, converted by debutant Nick Dangerfield, pointed the way to success.

But the visitors' ability to self-destruct gave Hinckley fresh incentive and the Midlanders were left celebrating victory and the city side wondering what should have been.