Ledbury Town 1 Bromyard Town 1

IT was certainly a tale of two halves in an entertaining West Midlands League Premier Division mid-table clash between local Herefordshire rivals.

From the start Bromyard, with dangerous striker Carl Fairhurst prompting many of the attacks on the home goal, created the better chances and were only denied by a series of fine saves from stand-in goalkeeper Dimitri Dim-itrou.

They kept up the pressure and duly took the lead with a Danny Hilditch penalty midway through the first period after Justin Ballinger was brought down in the box.

There was total change around after the break with Ledbury's Nicky Welch, Mark Brookes and Towan Ravenscoft finding more room and time on the ball.

Ledbury gradually took over and, in a sustained period of pressure, went close to levelling with a rasping 20-yarder from Welch and a crisp drive by Neil Stockley.

Leading scorer Robbie Colwell put them back on terms with a powerful shot that took a deflection to wrong-foot goalkeeper Dean Smith.

Bromyard were forced to defend in the closing stages as Ledbury put the visiting goal under siege but could not find a way through.

l LEDBURY failed to book a place in the quarter-finals of the Premier Division Cup when league leaders Malvern Town beat them 2-1 at New Street.

Malvern shaded the first period and deservedly took a 26th-minute lead when Rik Halion's free-kick rebounded off the wall and fell invitingly for Gary Smith to volley home.

The speedy Des Cox outpaced the home defence to extend Malvern's lead in the 57th minute and, although Ledbury did not give up, they could only beat the visiting goalkeeper once with Robbie Colwell glancing home the ball at the far post.