COVENTRY RFC scored a try in each half to put them on their way to grounding out a 20-16 win over Richmond.
The win keeps Coventry seventh in the Green King IPA Championship, despite being edged in the second-half, with their 13-7 half-time lead ultimately helping claim the points.
Andy Bulumakau posed an early threat to the visitors when he embarked on a powerful run, which was snuffed out, but followed up with a second driving run to finish in the corner.
Dan Lewis’ conversion, who later added a penalty after Richmond were caught offside, helped build a commanding lead for the hosts.
A response from the visitors came before half-time, when Will Warden broke away from a ruck, feeding Luc Jones to finish for a converted try.
Props Phil Boulton and debutant Jamal Ford-Robinson forced a scrum penalty after the break, which allowed for a counter-attack to be launched and earned their second try of the evening.
Tom Emery put in the hard yards to side-step an opponent, burst 60 metres to the opposition’s five-metre line, before Heath Stevens picked up the pieces to finish off the move.
With the try converted by Lewis once more, Rob Kirby responded with a 40-metre penalty to narrow the gap, before adding another penalty from the half-way line.
Coventry held a seven-point lead surpassing the hour mark, but made the mistake of infringing on the ground following a scrum inside their own-half, Kirby bringing the score back by another three points.
The hosts brought play back into the away 22 with a number of penalties to ease the pressure, as they held on for a seventh home league victory in nine matches.
Coventry are next in action against ninth-placed London Scottish on Friday (7:45pm) at the Athletic Ground, Richmond-upon-Thames.