LUDLOW RFC have been challenged to ‘put on a show’ against basement side Kidderminster this weekend to rebound from their latest narrow defeat.

Mikey Jones’ side came from 22-3 down to within a late penalty of rescuing a losing bonus point in Saturday’s 25-17 Midlands One West loss at second-placed Kenilworth.

That was Ludlow’s fifth loss in ten games – an up-and-down run that has seen them bounce around the mid-table positions but four of those defeats have come by eight points or fewer.

They have the perfect chance to bounce back when Kidderminster – who have lost ten of ten – visit The Linney this Saturday.

“On paper, we should win but our mentality has got to be right,” said Jones. “We can’t be thinking that Kidderminster will come here and roll over.

“But we also want to put on a show and prove how good we are – we don’t just want to scrape a win, we want to put a lot of points on the board.

“The table is very tight – if you don’t win one week, all of a sudden you drop two places but then if you win the next week you go up a few places.

“That’s pretty much how the league is, apart from the top three or four.

“We are competing in every game – the only thing we are missing is being a bit more clinical against the better sides when we get into their 22.”

Ludlow dominated possession in the first half at Kenilworth but only had a Will Sparrow penalty just before half-time to show for it, trailing 12-3 as the hosts ruthlessly took their rare chances.

After the break, Kenilworth earned a penalty under the posts to stretch their lead and then a try to take it to 22-3.

By this point, Ludlow had come close several times with Lawrence Hughes and Joe Doyle hauled down just short of the line, before Ben Black and Dylan Humphreys were denied in similar fashion.

When the tries came, they did so in quickfire fashion as Sparrow spotted a gap to score under the posts and centre Will Hodnett intercepted a Kenilworth attack to run three-quarters of the pitch.

Sparrow converted both tries and Ludlow were right back in it at 22-17 but a late Kenilworth penalty meant they undeservedly travelled home empty-handed.

Jones added: “We deserved something out of the game, even if I don’t think we deserved to win it. They were the best side we have played but we deserved a bonus point.

“It shows how far we have come because it would have been easy to roll over and let them put even more points on us.”

Ludlow Seconds, meanwhile, lost a friendly 47-12 at Ledbury, despite Rhys Evans scoring a brace of tries.