IF ever you're having difficulty explaining what is meant by the term 'a game of two halves', this game provided the perfect answer.

Bromyard would have been a match for anyone in the first half of this Midlands 4 West (North) clash and were probably a little disappointed not to have led by more than the 15-0 lead they took into the interval.

But there was a painful sting in the tail for the Herefordshire side as opponents Telford Hornets hit back in style to force a 15-15 draw in an entertaining match which, in truth, could have gone either way late on as both sides pushed forward in search of victory.

The stalemate will do little to dampen both sides' promotion ambitions although Bromyard were left thinking what might have been as the result keeps them just a point off second placed Barton-under-Needwood, although they have played two more matches than the Staffordshire club.

Two teams will be promoted at the end of the season.

"I thought we started the game well," said Will Gallagher who scored Bromyard's first try.

"It's a shame we couldn't have gone on to win. It must have been fitness.

"We were three points off second at the start of play. We've just got to hope for a bit of a miracle now."

On a bitterly cold afternoon at the Clive Richards Sports Ground, Bromyard's Will Pudge made a vital challenge in the very first minute to thwart a Telford break.

This was followed by good work by the Bromyard backs who found Ad Loris who broke into the Telford half before being upended illegally, resulting in a Bromyard penalty which Matt Swain calmly put away to nudge the home side ahead.

Will Gallagher impressed for the home side who spent a large part of the opening period camped in the Telford half, looking dangerous with their pace which they used well, spreading play from one side to the other.

On 20 minutes, Swain had a tricky chance to double the lead after Bromyard were awarded a penalty 25 yards out but his effort drifted wide of the sticks.

Bromyard then took the option of a scrum close to the Hornets line, with the visitors finding it difficult to find an outlay to relieve the pressure.

With seven minutes to go until the break, Bromyard still only had a slender lead but this extended when a wonderful run from Tom Morris saw his ghost past two opponents before laying the ball off to Gallagher to score, with Swain putting away the conversion.

The breathing space gave Bromyard the confidence to continue to attack, and on the opposite wing moments before half time, Fergus Hawkins ended a fine team move by holding off the close attention of a Telford player to dive over in the corner.

The resulting conversion, one of the hardest Swain will face this season, was missed.

Telford did end the half on the attack and this carried on into the second half with the Hornets galvanised by team manager Roger Bates' half-time team talk.

The first dent in Bromyard's lead came on 55 minutes Dennam Samuels went over for a try in the corner, with the conversion missed.

Matt Evans then increased the pressure further still, going over in the corner to reduce the score to 15-10.

The equalising try came from a break as Bromyard's supporters were looking for an offside which didn't come, and Paul Keen skipped down the wing to cross over the line.

Both sides went for the winner late on but had to settle for a draw, which on the basis of both halves was probably the fair result.