Lydney 2nd 27 pts Hereford 29

A STRONG second-half showing secured Here-ford's first victory of the campaign in an action-packed friendly in Gloucestershire.

Hereford bounced back from consecutive North Midlands Cup and Midlands 1 reverses to record a morale- boosting win.

The Wyesiders will be aiming to show similar character this Saturday in a tough Midlands 1 clash at newly-promoted Malvern.

Against Lydney, Ben Jenkins scored an early touchdown to give Hereford a 5-3 lead.

Lydney hit back with a try of their own after some poor Hereford defending, but the Wyesiders replied. Simon Lewis was tackled just short of the gain line, only for Jeremy Wheadon to power over for a converted try. But Hereford found themselves 20-12 down at the interval.

Within minutes of the restart, however, Will McQuaid crashed over in the corner for an unconverted try to cut the deficit to just three points.

Captain Jason Lewis touched down for a converted try to put Hereford ahead. Peter Evans then scored in the corner to stun the hosts, giving the Wyesiders a 29-20 lead.

To their credit, Lydney refused to accept defeat. The dangerous Johnson nipped over for a converted try and Hereford were forced to defend stoutly in the final 10 minutes.

l Hereford 2nd opened their new season with a 16-15 away win over Old Centralians. Keiron Jenkins and Alex Hustwayte scored tries and Lynden Day kicked two penalties.