Ledbury 3, Pinley 29.

LEDBURY ended their Midlands Four West (South) campaign with a defeat at the hands of champions-elect Pinley at Ross Road, but emerged with great credit from a bruising encounter.

Lacking 13 from their first choice squad, the home team knew they would have a hard task against the Coventry-based side.

But they led for the majority of the first-half and were still in close contention when they were reduced to 14 when a fourth player had to leave the field injured.

Ledbury went ahead through a penalty from full-back Ali Park which flanker Jack Segust forced Pinley to give away in the first minute with one of countless tackles he made throughout the match.

This inspired the home team and, while conceding the majority of territory and possession to the visitors’ larger and aggressive forwards, they showed great spirit and commitment throughout the clash.

Scrum-half Nick Panniers and number eight Chris Bennett looked to run any scrap of possession from penalties and free kicks and this enabled centre Will Tucker and winger Olly Kaye to come close to scoring.

Indeed, Tucker was only a finger- tip away from an interception which would have given Ledbury a 10-point lead.

As the first-half came to an end, the home team suffered an important loss when hooker Dan Hicks, who had played every minute of every first team match this season, aggravated a persistent shoulder problem, and Pinley finally translated their possession into points with a converted try.

They extended their lead with a second try after 50 minutes, but the hosts refused to buckle and were still in contention until the loss of Panniers, prop Joe Hill and flanker Clive Chapman effectively ended their chance of a remarkable victory.

Pinley went on to record a bonus-point win which virtually guaranteed their promotion as champions.

But Ledbury were able to reflect on the major steps forward that have been made this season, giving real hope that their developing team could challenge for promotion themselves next term.