Ludlow 5 pts Hereford 18

LUDLOW bowed out of the North Midlands Cup at the first hurdle when they met higher-graded Hereford at The Linney.

Ludlow struggled at the breakdown in the first half and trailed by 15-0 at the break, after the visitors had exposed a weakness down the Ludlow flank to run in three tries. Hereford looked sharper from the start and took the lead after six minutes with a try from Andy Potter.

Ludlow might have responded quickly, but they were off target with a penalty attempt. After a period of end-to-end play Hereford extended their lead when Keiran Hallam touched down for their second try on the half hour mark.

Hereford pressurized a Ludlow lineout, allowing Matt Pritchard to gather up the loose ball to score the third try and put the visitors into a commanding lead at the break.

Ludlow looked a lot sharper in the second half and were far more physical in the breakdown areas. They cut the deficit soon after the restart when the forwards created an attacking position for winger Will Sparrow to score from.

With their tails up at this point Ludlow looked dangerous and might have cut the deficit. They failed to take them, however and when Hereford were awarded a penalty they opted to kick for goal. Richie Rees landed the penalty to effectively kill the tie.

Ludlow open their Midlands Division 1 West campaign on Saturday with a trip to Dunlop, a side newly promoted from the East group.

Ludlow will be looking to make a strong start to the game, and their league campaign.