Hereford 21 pts Stratford 3 pts.

HEREFORD are now unbeaten in four matches and have not conceded a try since January 5 following their latest Midlands One West success.

On a heavy pitch, Hereford moved the ball the more successfully of the two sides with Stratford guilty of handling errors which prevented them from getting back into the game.

The visitors had the better of the early play but the Wyesiders gradually worked their way into the game and took the lead after 20 minutes.

Dean Powell’s cross-kick forced Stratford to concede a penalty and a strong drive by the pack led to James Watters diving over for the first try. Powell added the conversion.

Gareth Miles (pictured right), back in the first team from retirement in the absence of injured Dave Thomas, took a scrum against the head and, with Stratford offside, Powell kicked the penalty to extend the lead. Stratford cut arrears with a penalty of their own before half-time.

And the visitors tried to build on this as the second-half got under way but their charge was stopped when a run by Perry Pudge led to a further penalty which was kicked by Powell.

Hereford continued to attack and, after Jamie Humphries had won a line-out, the ball was moved smartly out to Matt Hallett who crossed out left for an unconverted try.

Powell, however, punished another Stratford offence by kicking his third penalty of the game to round off the scoring.

Late yellow cards for Hereford’s Richard Preece and two Stratford players had no further effect on the scoreline. l GREYHOUND’S development side gained a crushing 58-0 victory over Worcester Wanderers 4th in a Herefordshire and Worcestershire Merit Table clash.

Ali Paton (2), George Scrivens, Paul Hollingsworth and Tom Dickinson all touched down in the first-half with Dickinson adding a conversion and Dave Bromage a penalty.

In the second-half, the points kept coming with Dickinson crossing twice for tries which he converted.

Dickinson converted a George Gwynn try while Jamie Gibbons scored a try and a conversion. Ledbury’s three-game unbeaten run in Midlands Three West (South) came to an end when they were beaten at 19-3 at Pinley.

But Bromyard’s first success in five Midlands Four West (North) outings, a 14-8 home victory over Harborne, lifted them out of the bottom two and raises their hopes of escaping the drop.