Ludlow Rugby Club head coach plans spying mission at Midlands One West relegation rivals Barkers Butts (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Ludlow Rugby Club head coach plans spying mission at Midlands One West relegation rivals Barkers Butts

9:00am Friday 22nd February 2013 in Sport By Ian Morgan

LUDLOW head coach Dave Irish is planning a spying mission on relegation rivals Barkers Butts this Saturday.

The Linneymen are without a match this weekend but host Barkers Butts in a must-win Midlands One West clash on March 2.

“A few of us are toying with the idea of going to Barkers Butts to see them play against Hereford on Saturday,” said Irish.

“We are going to see if we can pick up a few pointers ahead of our must-win game.”

Ludlow are third-from-bottom with just six matches remaining.

Barkers Butts are just one place and four points better off than the Linneymen. Irish said: “We have four training sessions before the Barkers Butts game at home and we need to make full use of those.

“We are hoping that Sam Wilkes and Will Norton will be back for our March Mayhem matches.”

Ludlow crashed to a 44-22 defeat at Walsall in Midlands One West last weekend.

Will Sparrow scored two tries and kicked two conversions and a penalty. Mark Williams also crossed the whitewash for Ludlow.

Irish said: “We gave Walsall a 17-point start and, although we came back to within seven points, we let them get away from us.

“They were much-changed to the side whom we defeated when they came down to us at the start of the season. This was not a game we were targeting to win.

"After the result at our place, we went in hope rather than expectation.

“Matt Wilkes started for the first time in the front-row since his injury and Ollie James came back into the first team and made an impact.”

Bishops Castle captain Pete Bevan had to field 11 forwards for their match at Five Ways Old Edwardians. They lost 24-5.

Bevan said: “We only went with 15 and 11 of those were forwards.

“It was a case of using what we had. We were in the game for a long time, but they had a winger who was a bit too quick for us.

“Everyone gave their all, and I couldn’t ask for more.”

Toby Stokes, who is a normally a prop, played in the centre and scored Hill’s try. Matt Chesters was Hill’s man-of-the-match.