LEWIS Williams scored a hat-trick as league leaders Ledbury Town thrashed Gloucester City U21s 11-0 on Wednesday evening to extend their winning run. 

Ledbury made it a fifth Herefordshire Premier Division consecutive win to maintain their six-point gap at the top of the table. 

Williams' treble was joined by two each for Tom Boyle and Josh Burns, whilst Nathan Ince, Matt Tristram, Tom Trigg and Ben Febery all got in on the act.

Ian Merrick's side have seven games to go in the 2022/23 campaign and it remains firmly in their hands to win the title and gain promotion to Step 6 of the non-league ladder.

But they have a tough run-in, with games against those teams who could still spoil their party. 

Ledbury's main threats come from Sporting Club Inkberrow and Ludlow Town, who have three and two games in hand on Ledbury respectively. 

Merrick's men have Inkberrow (fourth), Hereford Pegasus (second) and Clee Hill United (sixth) inside what will likely be a decisive 12-day stretch in April if Ledbury are going to go on and win the title.

The weekend saw the first team have a rest and so it was over to the Reserves to offer up the action. 

But it was not to be a successful afternoon for the men in black and white as two goals in the final ten minutes saw them lose 2-0 at Shobdon. 

Ledbury keeper James Loader had saved a 67th minute penalty to keep the scores level but he could not do much about the two goals that came late on. 

Harry Bowen and William Bowen both found the net for the hosts as they secured the three points to keep their faint title hopes alive.

Joint-manager David Butcher summed up a generally disappointing game for the visitors which nevertheless had its positive aspects.

"I thought we played really well for around 65 minutes and were the better team," he said. 

"Not taking our chances however once again cost us. The lads were extremely frustrated not to come away from the game with anything."