Hat-trick helps secure opening day win

The home side started the stronger and moments after a forwards’ drive was held up over the line, Oliver dotted down for the first score of the game on eight minutes after taking a long pass out to the flank from Nathan Geekie.

Gwilym Davies missed the conversion but slotted over a penalty ten minutes later before the Herefordshire side crossed for their only try of the game midway through the half following a catch and drive in the corner.

A yellow card for the visitors’ fly-half Iolo Bubb for a deliberate knock-on hampered their cause and the hosts made their extra man count when Collins claimed his first of the game just after the half-hour with a 30-metre dash to the line.

The final score of the half came two minutes before the break when a high kick forward was not gathered by the Ledbury winger Charlie Powell scooped up the ball and fed Smith who ran to the line with Davies adding the extras for a 20-7 half-time lead.

The second period was just two minutes old when Mellor intercepted a pass and ran the ball in from his own half and he completed his treble soon after as Stratford raced clear of their opponents.

Houlahan then added a quick-fire double helped by good work from winger Powell each time with the forwards having the final say when second row Walton was driven over for his side’s eighth try ten minutes from the end.

Director of rugby Richard Pepperell said: “We didn’t want them to get on top in the first half so we had a lot of the ball, particularly in the first 20 minutes. Their try came from a couple of our errors when they found themselves in the corner but we had 80 or 90 per cent of the possession at that point. We were pretty happy with the way we were executing the game and looking after the ball.

“We needed to post our forwards a bit wider to spread their defence and when we did that it meant gaps started appearing in the middle and we could make some more incisive breaks.

As good as it was to score 51 points, much of that was built on a really solid defence and the line speed was fantastic. We looked hungry in defence and I don’t think we let them through for a single line break.

“Lewis Mellor scored a hat-trick. He was at university last year and played about four games for us but still scored two hat-tricks. He is back with us full-time now and he scores a hat-trick in his first game, so he’s pretty prolific.

“Tom Houlahan has come off the bench and injected a bit of extra pace once the gaps started to appear.

“We are one game into a 22-game season so the result means little but we always say that the plan is to look after the home games and then try and focus on getting something in the away matches. It is the away form that will see us in the top three whereas the home form will get us into the top six.

“It’s important that we try to back this up next week when we go to Cheltenham.”