Ledbury were left ruing a marginal 17-12 defeat over a relieved Whitchurch away from home.

The Regional 2 Midlands West League clash on Saturday (October 12) saw Ledbury RFC make the long trek to face an unfamiliar opponent.

The match started with the visitors appearing hesitant, allowing the robust home team to dominate the early exchanges.

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The relentless Whitchurch forwards, coached by former Wales and British Lion Andy Powell, found space out wide, and winger Ben Vallings made a breakthrough before passing to supporting scrum-half Jake Dodwell who crossed the whitewash.

Danny Nicholas added the extra, putting Whitchurch ahead 7-0.

This spurred Ledbury into action, and they started to move the ball with more intent.

However, Whitchurch's industrious and aggressive play gave the visitors little time to capitalise on their possession.

Iolo Bubb's accurate kicking repeatedly relieved pressure for Ledbury, but they were unable to break the deadlock.

Whitchurch extended their lead to 12-0 as centre Isaac Wilding broke the line and fed Vallings, who touched down in the corner.

Ledbury responded with a period of pressure, culminating in Ben Lewis smashing over the line from close range, with Bubb converting to leave the score at 12-7 at half-time.

The second half saw Whitchurch continue to charge, with centre Wilding proving a constant threat.

However Ledbury still managed to keep the home crowd quiet, pinning the hosts in their own 22.

Ben Yeo's magnificent solo run resulted in a try in the corner, with a difficult Bubb conversion levelling the scores at 12-12.

Both sides threw everything into attack in the final quarter, but it was Wilding who evaded two tackles to score the decisive try after sustained pressure, leaving the final score at 17-12.

Ledbury were left to ponder what might have been, with an unforced knock-on denying them a scoring opportunity after stealing a Whitchurch lineout in the dying moments.

Despite the defeat, Ledbury secured a losing bonus point, maintaining their league position above Malvern and Hereford.

They will be looking to bounce back in their next match against Cheltenham Tigers on Saturday (October 19) at 3pm.