Ludlow 7 Hereford 23
A win over league leaders Ludlow took the Wyesiders into second place in the table, with seven wins from eight games. Hereford maintained an advantage in both possession and field position throughout the game but did not fully capitalise on their time spent in the red zone.
A converted try and a penalty goal gave a 10-point margin at the interval. A couple more Hereford penalties in the second half were followed by a consolation try for Ludlow, while the visitors were reduced to fourteen with a man in the bin. The finale in the final minutes was a fine try for Hereford with a set move straight from the training paddock.
A very happy Head Coach Scott Sturdy said after the match, “What a wonderful day to be a Wyesider, another two great results from our teams, especially our win over at Ludlow. We implemented a game plan, we worked on it diligently during the week and it was executed to perfection by the players. Ludlow are a good team and we managed to control the game very well.”“There were a number of standout performances and none better than Luke Yarranton on his birthday, who was outstanding at 7. Dean Powell, who has come back to us this year, was instrumental at 10 in implementing the game plan. His kicking was absolutely superb and Matt Milsom on the wing had the best game I’ve seen him play. His kick chase, his try and the tackles he made covering space out wide were something to behold. Not just these three, but everyone else in the team. I could have awarded eighteen Man of the Matches today, it was that good a performance!”“Another great win for the 1870s by 29 points to nil over Malvern 2s. Always hard to get a nil in rugby these days, it was a great defensive performance from them, as well as getting 29 points in attack. No-one has achieved anything yet, we are in a good place and winning games. We have to stay humble now, keep focused on the games ahead of us and see where that takes us.”
Hereford started well and dominated possession early in the game.
After ten minutes, a well-placed cross kick from Dean Powell was pounced on by Matt Milsom who crossed in the corner, Powell added the extra points. Hereford maintained pressure in the Ludlow half. Probing kicks from Powell and driving runs from Jack Goodwin and Freddie Spencer forced several penalties. Many of these were kicked to touch deep in the Ludlow half, keeping the pressure on. After thirty minutes Hereford were awarded a penalty in front of the posts, which was moved 10 yards nearer following a comment from a Ludlow player. Powell converted increasing the lead to 10 points which remained until the interval.
The Wyesiders continued into the second half having the better of possession and field position. Ludlow conceded more penalties enabling Hereford to build on their lead with a brace of Dean Powell kicks. Mid-way through the second half, Hereford’s Tom Williams was shown a yellow card and whilst he was in the bin Ludlow raised their game and managed a try in the corner. The conversion attempt was good and the deficit was reduced to 9 points. After Powell was just short with a long-range penalty, Luke Yarranton picked up the drop out and moved the ball wide. The movement took the ball close to the Ludlow goal-line and a knock-on set up the position for Hereford to perfectly implement a set move, completed by Mark Philo racing over for the try. Dean Powell converted to take the final score to 7 points to 23.
The 1870s had another great result beating visitors Malvern 2s by 29 points to nil. Tries were scored by Dan Mills, Rhys Roberts 2 and James Lawrence 2. Ollie Bulleid converted two. Next week the 1870s have a rest week and the Hereford team will aim to beat visitors Malvern and extend their winning run to eight games
