LUDLOW felt the cold as they were frozen out by Aldridge &?Walsall in the Warwick Printing West Midlands League Premier Division.

They shivered to a 4-2 defeat, with their goals being supplied by James Pratt and Andy Richards.

Pratt reduced the deficit after Aldridge had forced their way into a 2-0 lead, and the visitors extended that to 4-1, courtesy of a harsh umpiring decision, before Richards pulled back a consolation.

With only four 2nd XI regulars and a raft of 3rd XI players, a double-figure defeat was predicted for Ludlow 2nd at Old Wulfs.

But a young side worked hard to give a laudable performance in a 7-1 defeat. An early injury to defender Scott Kemsley didn’t help their cause but he battled on regardless while debutant Oscar Austin put in a strong showing at right-half.

Old Wulfs led 3-1 at the break, a powerful finish from stand-in skipper Tom Aston accounting for Ludlow’s goal, and the home side scored four more in the second half.

But Ludlow never got disheartened with Jack Wood in immense form, pulling off some fantastic tackles and clearances.

*LUDLOW/Wenlock Ladies went under 8-0 at Montgomery.

Despite the result, they showed some promising potential with Katie James, Faith Harrison and Georgina Morris attacking with real vigour. But Montgomery were the stronger side and Ludlow had to work hard to counter their attacks. A guest appearance from Michelle Hadley helped shore up their defence.

The second half saw Charlotte Spencer move from left-back to centre and she held off a lot of attacks. Anna Wilkinson also marked her debut with some good dribbling runs.