Ledbury's hopes of securing a home victory were dashed once again as they fell to Earlsdon by a single point in a gripping encounter.
The match took place in the Counties 1 Midlands West (South) league on Saturday (September 13), at Ledbury's home ground.
Within five minutes of the start, Earlsdon were in front through a long-range penalty kick, putting them ahead 0-3.
Ledbury struggled to find their rhythm early on, conceding another penalty shortly after, extending Earlsdon's lead to six points.
Despite the slow start, Ledbury responded with determination.
After a series of penalties against Earlsdon, Josh Hill managed to score a try under the posts, with Iolo Bubb successfully converting to give Ledbury a brief lead at 7-6.
However, the visitors were quick to retaliate, taking advantage of Ledbury's penalties to regain the lead.
A well-executed try from John Parker, again converted by Bubb, saw Ledbury momentarily ahead at 14-9.
As the first half drew to a close, Earlsdon managed to slot another penalty, bringing the score to 14-12.
The second half began with a scrum penalty for Ledbury, but their advantage was short-lived as Earlsdon's wing showcased impressive speed, tearing down the touchline to score in the corner (14-17).
Ledbury stuttered as Josh Hill received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, however, firm pressure on the Earlsdon line elicited a penalty try, taking the score to 21-17.
With time running out, Ledbury's discipline faltered once again, ceding even more penalties that allowed Earlsdon to score the decisive try, sealing the match at 21-22.
This defeat marks another frustrating effort for Ledbury, not without merits, but ill-discipline, bad tackling and apparent lack of game management skills resulted in another loss by the finest of margins.
On a highly positive note, however, 13 of Saturday’s squad of 18 are players who progressed from the Mini and Junior section
Next Saturday sees Camp Hill coming to Ross Road.
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