Hereford 10 pts Walsall 0.

HEREFORD completed their first Midlands One West double of the season and kept their first clean sheet of the campaign with a battling win.

Walsall, who had won their previous three league matches, proved predictably tough opposition but Hereford got off to a great start with a try after just a minute.

In the best movement of the game, the Hereford back division quickly moved the ball wide to Charlie Loughman, who out paced the defence to score in the corner.

Loughman doubled the tally after 17 minutes when he followed up his own kick ahead and beat the cover defence to go over for a second unconverted try.

Walsall were stung to action and put the Hereford line under pressure.

A yellow card for Ben Hillstead after 25 minutes was a setback for the Wyesiders but the home side continued to produce some high-calibre defensive play until he was able to return.

Hillstead’s return proved a boost for Hereford but a cold wind and drizzle made handling difficult in the run-up to the interval, a period which saw the visitors fail with a penalty attempt.

Although the weather continued to make attacking play difficult after the interval, Walsall tried hard to get back into the game with a number of attempts.

But handling errors and good defensive work by the well-marshalled home side kept them at bay and ensured a well-earned Hereford victory.

Hereford’s second-team also gained a narrow win over their Walsall counterparts with a last-minute penalty, converted by Dean Powell, earning an 18-17 victory.

On Saturday, Hereford entertain Stratford in a rearranged league game which was originally scheduled for December.

Bristol Aero Co 21 pts Ross-on-Wye 0 pts.

ROSS slipped out of the promotion-chasing pack in Gloucester Two after a disappointing performance.

The home side dominated early possession and forced infringements from Ross which led to three successful penalties with only 15 minutes played.

Ross defended stubbornly for the remainder of the half and, with the wind behind them in the second period, harboured hopes that the deficit might have been overturned.

The visitors set up camp in the Bristol 22 for much of the third quarter and the elusive score seemed inevitable.

However, Bristol survived and a breakaway score on the hour turned the game on its head.

The Ross resolve appeared to be broken by this unexpected setback and a further score in the dying minutes allowed the home side to celebrate what, in the end, turned out to be a comfortable victory.