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Match reportOld Yardleans 1st XV 14 Ledbury 1st XV 23 Ledbury 1st’s travelled to Birmingham on Saturday for a friendly fixture against Old Yardleans and recovered from a below par first half performance which saw them trail by 14 points to 0 to eventually run out victors by 23 points to 14. The second half improvement saw glimpses of the potential within the team, but the most important features were the return from long term injuries of Director of Rugby Bruce Ruthven and Paul Williams. With captain Stu Davies and Jamie Williams due to be available in a few weeks, and Jim Handley even earlier, it is hoped that Ledbury’s back luck with injuries is finally coming to an end. Ledbury’s lacklustre opening forty minutes was in part due to a limited warming up period which involved switching pitches from what appeared to be a recently ploughed field to a reasonable playing surface. Having conceded two converted tries after half an hour the away team at last began to show a degree of urgency, culminating in a penalty from Luke White just on half time. A full and frank discussion of the performance during the break concentrated the minds of the players and a try by Will Green, converted by White, created by a well timed pass from Toby Blandford after forty nine minutes brought Ledbury back in contention. Superior fitness and organisation gradually provided the platform from which Jock Welch crashed over for a converted try to give Ledbury the lead with ten minutes left, and a further try from Green and a White penalty sealed the win. The ability to grind out victory in conditions and on playing surfaces not naturally suited to their open, fast moving game is one that Ledbury will be seeking to exploit in the forthcoming crucial league games, beginning with visit of Coventry Dunlop to Ross Road on Saturday. |
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