CONFIDENCE-hit Cleobury Mortimer replaced Wheaton Aston at the bottom of Midlands Four West (North) after a 15-5 defeat at their fellow strugglers.

Off-form Cleobury were without first teamers Ian King, Hylton Smith and Chris Gittins.

The home side had obviously targeted Cleobury as the side likeliest to give them a victory to keep them off the bottom of the table.

And the visitors were up against the pressure in the first half when they conceded a penalty and an unconverted try.

At 8-0, the situation looked desperate and it was made worse when Wheaton Aston managed a converted try to go 15-0 up shortly after interval.

Midway through the half, Colin Todd did cross the line for his second try of the season.

Cleobury applied considerable pressure and held the upper hand but Wheaton Aston held on to win.

Cleobury Mortimer 2nds 5

Whitchurch 4ths 7

The villagers just lost out in a tremendous contest with their side boosted by two Whitchurch loan players.

Cleobury welcomed back centre Adrian Clifford after three years out and 17-year-old Luke Allen for his debut.

Aided by the slope, Cleobury held the upper hand in the first half and were rewarded for refusing two kickable penalties to gain field position.

Prop Gary Harding was pushed over from one line-out to give them some confidence but the conversion was missed.

Excellent defence kept Whitchurch at bay with Clifford preventing a certain try with a superb tackle.

However, with time running out, the Whitchurch centre was finally put in enough space to squeeze over near the posts.

The conversion helped Whitchurch steal the game when a draw would have been a fairer result.

Cleobury/Ludlow U-16s 5

Droitwich 20

The much-improved U-16s improved on their last game against Droitwich when they lost 59-0.

The experienced visitors were able to finish off their scoring chances but Mark Shorter scored an unconverted try for the home side.