Pershore 2, Ludlow 2.

PERSHORE Hockey Club shared the spoils with Ludlow in this ENER-G West Midlands League Division Two encounter.

The visitors were full of running and skill, whereas Pershore were dogged in defence, well-disciplined and quick on the counter-attack.

Despite Ludlow having the better of the first 10 minutes, it was Pershore who took the lead from a short corner.

The move itself was snuffed out by Ludlow, but Paul Grummitt reacted first to the breakdown and his strike clipped the crossbar, however, it bounced out for Anthony Handley to score with a reverse-stick shot.

Although the south Shropshire side had the better of the following 10 minutes, Pershore doubled their lead. Grummitt and Handley linked up, this time the former finished with a reverse-stick paddle.

This proved to be the high point for Pershore in the game, shortly before half-time.

The returning Mark Passmore pulled up injured and, although he battled through the rest of the game, he was really only a passenger.

With Pershore playing with essentially 10 the second-half was a difficult affair, the defence prowess of Hugh Porter, Karl Lawson and Gareth Rushton couple with good play from Tom Metson in the Pershore goal repelled several attacks.

But as the game wore on it became a matter of time before Ludlow closed the difference with a short corner.

The visitors equalised with a scrappy second which Pershore had the chance to clear and also felt had won a hit, but to no avail.

n Pershore thirds’ good form continued with a 4-1 home win over against Aldridge and Walsall.

It was the visitors who took the lead from a short corner after Pershore goalkeeper Steve Taylor had no chance the ball rocketed into the bottom corner. Pershore’s equaliser came via Dave Ingram who bundled the ball just across the line following good work from Rob Curley.

In the second-half, Pershore scored through Curley.

This was followed by their third, as a quick hit by Curley put Gavin Pugh through after a slight deflection squeezed the ball into the bottom corner.

Pershore’s fourth was fired in by Andy Gardiner.