LUCTONIANS 2s took a big step towards the title on Saturday as they beat second-placed Ledbury 32-10 in their top-of-the-table clash at a packed-out Ross Road.

Ledbury suffered their first defeat of the season in the last round, a surprise 16-12 defeat at Manor Park, which saw them slip four points behind Lucs. As for the league leaders, they went into the clash with a maximum of 50 points from their opening ten fixtures in the Counties 1 Midlands West (South).

And in the first game between the runaway duo at the top of the league, it was the visitors who prevailed in the freezing conditions. 

From the outset, both sides showed intent to play running rugby in poor conditions but it was Luctonians who broke the deadlock as a clever chip kick caught out the Ledbury defence, bouncing back into the hands of the Luctonians winger who touched down in the corner for a converted try (0-7).

In an even clash, there was little to separate the two sides but a pushover try from a lineout provided Lucs with their second try to give them a 12-0 lead at the break.

The away side were looking just as slick in attack and the scrum-half scampered over following a smart move to extend their lead and give Ledbury a mountain to climb at 17-0 down.

But the hosts fought back admirably and after a period of pressure on the Lucs' line, Iolo Bubb popped a short pass to Jamie Rayfield who crashed over between the sticks for a converted try.

George Wallin then added a penalty shortly afterwards to cut the lead to just seven points at 10-17.

With time running out, hopes of a stunning comeback win were snuffed out when Lucs capitalised on a dropped ball from Ledbury to run the ball up the other end for the bonus-point score. 

Lucs sealed the victory with two late tries in what was a fairly harsh scoreline from Ledbury's point of view, having been right in the game with 10 minutes to go. 

But they ended the game with nothing and as a result, are now nine points being Lucs in the table.