TOM Ewins has been named as Hereford Rugby Club's new captain.

Ewins has been a regular first team member of the Wyesiders for the past six seasons and has clocked up nearly 150 games.

The centre replaces Luke Yarranton, with Richard Preece named vice-captain having decided not to retire just yet.

Hereford kicked off their pre-season campaign on Saturday with a 12-7 win over Welsh Division 2 East club Talywain.

For the first fifteen minutes, Talywain kept Hereford penned in their own half with some accurate passing and determined running.

Although the Hereford error rate was high, their defence was immaculate and the visitors never threatened to score.

As the half progressed, the Wyesiders began to take over and created the only clear-cut chance of the first half.

A Talywain error let James Watters in for a dangerous run but a handling error spoilt an excellent passage of play.

Early in the second half, the Hereford pressure paid off.

James Stubbs put Watters in for the first try which was converted by Josh Lawrence.

Hereford increased their lead after 65 minutes with an unconverted try from Ben Osborne after a determined run before Talywain reduced the deficit with a converted try.

However, the home team held on for the win.

“We had a slow first quarter, but once we got over the early errors we really started to play.," said Ewins.

"The defence was great, everyone put in their tackles and Josh Lawrence at 10 showed a great desire while Ben Osborne was solid at 15.

"We are a young side and not the biggest, so we must work on our skills and play through the backs.

"We are getting there with the help of the new coaching team."

New Hereford coach Sean Lynn was pleased to start with a win.

"In the second half, it was good to see youngsters from the Colts and some older players coming back," he said.

"The turnout was good including new players Ieuen Brown and Josh Allen who enjoyed the game and are looking to sign on.

"It was nice to see James Watters and Matt Mills back and Callum Brayshaw and Bryn Goodall from the Colts.

"We are going in the right direction bringing on our youngsters, rugby is all about producing young talent.

"There are plenty of positives to take from the game, but we have plenty to work on and will continually re-assess aiming to improve all the time”.

The Colts completed a double win by beating Talywain 17-5 thanks to two tries from Sam Johnson and one from Goodall.