Ledbury firsts faced a tough day at the office in an intense 47-26 away defeat to Cheltenham Tigers.

Ledbury RFC travelled to Cheltenham on Saturday, October 19, confident after Cheltenham’s narrow 6-0 win over Hereford the previous week.

However, with nine changes in the Cheltenham starting line-up and the unfamiliarity of playing on a 4G pitch, Ledbury faced a challenging match against a club with a storied history, having played against the first All Blacks touring side in 1905.

Read more: Ledbury narrowly defeated 17-12 by Whitchurch on the road

The match began at a fast pace, with Ledbury initially dominating territory and possession.

They opened the scoring with an Iolo Bubb penalty from 40 metres after a high tackle from Cheltenham.

But Cheltenham quickly took the lead with a try from centre Dan Spencer-Tonks after a well drilled attack, converted by Curtis Neal.

The visitors responded with another penalty from Bubb, narrowing the deficit to a point.

However, Cheltenham soon took control, with full back Henry Kirchner dancing his way through the defence to score two quick tries, both converted by Neal.

Ledbury managed to get back into the game with a try from John Clark after a well-executed maul.

The Giers kept their tails up as Ryan Bradman weaved his way through the 22 to score under the posts, with Neal again adding the extras.

The second half saw Cheltenham maintain a high tempo, with prop Cam Holenstein driving over from short range, before reliable Neal added the extra two.

Ledbury fought back as Nathan Watkins scored in the corner after a strong forward effort.

Despite a yellow card for Cheltenham's Holenstein, Ledbury could not convert their man advantage into points and soon found themselves trailing 40-16 after another Cheltenham try from Spencer-Tonks, this time converted by Craig Holder.

Ledbury showed some resilience, with Ed Bennion's break from his own 22 releasing Joe Pugh for a stunning solo try, coverted by Bubb.

However Cheltenham remained undeniable, taking advantage of missed tackles as Will Naish crossed the white wash.

Ledbury finished strong with a final try from Jack Hughes, securing a bonus point to head back home with.

Looking ahead, Ledbury will face Ludlow at home on Saturday (October 26) at 3pm.