LEDBURY RFC produced a confident, clinical performance to secure a deserved 24–8 victory against Evesham.
The match included a notable personal milestone for scrum‑half Iolo Bubb, making his 50th senior appearance, and he celebrated it in style.
Evesham started the brighter of the two teams after kicking off, making early inroads and showing good structure in the set piece.
Their pressure earned the opening points, and they moved the ball tidily across the width of the field, forcing Ledbury to creep offside just outside the 22. The hosts opted for the straightforward shot at goal and duly converted, taking a 3–0 lead.
Ledbury responded impressively. Their scrum began asserting dominance, with Will Lewis, Tom Manning, and Aaron Almond combining effectively in the front row to put real pressure on the Evesham pack.
From a penalty deep in home territory, Ledbury built phases with patience before centre John Parker picked a superb line, slicing through to score beneath the posts for their opening try.
Jack Hughes added the conversion, giving Ledbury a 7–3 advantage.
What followed was a scrappy phase of the match, with both sides struggling to string together clean passages of play.
Ledbury were the first to settle. Sustained attacking pressure on the Evesham 22 forced the defence to narrow, and quick, accurate handling to the left created space.
At the ruck, Bubb reacted sharply, spotting a gap at the fringe and sniping over for Ledbury’s second try on his landmark day. Hughes converted once more to extend the lead to 14–3.
Just before halftime, Ledbury almost struck again when a spilled ball in the Evesham midfield gifted them a counterattack opportunity.
With the try-line begging, the ball was knocked on, allowing Evesham to escape. Nonetheless, Ledbury went into the break deservedly ahead.
The second half began much like the first had ended - with Ledbury on the front foot.
From a strong scrum platform Bubb kicked ahead, forcing Evesham to scramble. Their scrum-half retrieved the ball but was immediately put under immense pressure at the base of the ruck.
His attempted clearance was charged down, and Parker reacted quickest, winning the chase and grounding the ball for his second try of the afternoon.
The conversion was pushed wide, but Ledbury now held a commanding 19–3 lead.
Evesham showed resilience and were rewarded when a well-executed first-phase move from a lineout inside the Ledbury 22 saw them burst through for their only try of the match. The conversion drifted wide, reducing the deficit to 19–8.
But Ledbury’s dominance continued to tell. Shortly afterwards, Charlie Pallett made a clean break deep into the Evesham 22, but Ledbury were penalised at the breakdown, allowing the hosts to clear their lines.
Ledbury, chasing the bonus‑point try, bravely attempted to run the ball from underneath their own posts. The move ended in a knock-on, gifting Evesham a scrum, but Ledbury’s pack once again proved too strong. Under huge pressure, the Evesham scrum wheeled, the ball squirted loose, and replacement Alfie Schofield pounced, diving on the ball to secure Ledbury’s fourth and final try.
With the conversion unnecessary for league points, Ledbury closed out the match comfortably to seal a 24–8 victory.
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