Stubborn Ledbury showed some flashes of brilliance in a compelling 36-27 defeat to Old Patesians.

At Ross Road on Friday (August 23) evening the sides clashed for the first time in around 30 years in a pre-season friendly in front of 300 spectators.

Ledbury fielded a youthful squad with noticeably more forwards than backs due to player availability.

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The sides clashed in four 20-minute quarters.

Pats burst out of the gates, quickly taking possession of the ball, applying persistent pressure which paid off as they pierced through Ledbury's defence, scoring a try and taking an early 7-0 lead.

However, Ledbury countered quickly, with Charlie Barber-Starkey narrowing Patesians' advantage to 7-5 following a skillful break by Zac Bonfield.

However Pats soon re-took control, when Pats' loose head prop showcased some dancing feet before putting his supporting scrum-half in under the posts.

Pats heaped on even more pressure when the winger treated onlookers to a jinking run of 50 metres for their third try.

The wide man soon added another, stepping and speeding his way to the corner in the second quarter.

There was a shift in momentum, however, as Ledbury managed to contain Pats in their own 22, who eventually succumbed to the pressure as Tom Manning touched down.

The hosts deepened their grip on the contest in the third quarter, once again placing pressure before Leo Kelly wormed his way over for a score.

In the final quarter Ledbury's youth came to the fore, with Curtis Williams scoring to reduce the deficit to eight points.

Ledbury continued to press, resulting in a penalty try against Pats, putting them just a point behind, having previously trailed by 23.

What followed was a pulsating final five minutes as the sides battled for supremacy, however Ledbury's overzealousness in their rush defence saw them caught offside, providing the platform for Pats to drive over from the following lineout.

Any hopes of a victory were dashed when Pats padded their tally by another three points following a penalty, bringing the score to 36-27.

Despite the defeat, regrouping Ledbury almost pulled off a coup, proving a formidable challenger throughout the game.

The match had some positive indicators for Ledbury, with newcomers striving for places, and set-piece and tackling also receiving plaudits.