ON a wet uneven pitch this North Midlands Division One game was never going to be one of the ones to stick in the memory.

BISHOPS CASTLE 7pts, Ledbury 1ST XV 12pts

Right from the outset it was obvious that Bishops Castle were going to use their very large pack to their advantage, often decimating Ledbury in the scrum and doing better in the line out.

When Ledbury did get the ball to the backs they were able to put pressure on the weak Bishops Castle back line. This pressure resulted in a penalty for Ledbury, which Pete Elkington slotted over easily. The heavy conditions cost Ledbury dearly as Mick Christopherson went off injured.

Ledbury continued to hammer the Castle backs and were able to get another penalty. Just before the break Bishops Castle used their pack size to all its advantage and crashed over for a converted try.

In the second half Ledbury managed to find another gear as they set up camp in the Bishops Castle 22 for almost all the half. Unfortunately another two converted penalties was all Ledbury got for their efforts.

Resolute defence from Mark Ball and Mark Morrison made sure that Bishops Castle couldn't counter attack. Young winger Olly J Kaye came closest to scoring when everyone but the ref saw him touchdown his own kick ahead.

This result meant that Ledbury are now two points clear of title rivals Stourport, who have a game in hand after their fixture was postponed on Saturday, which is going to culminate in a very exciting run in to the end of the season.