HARTPURY suffered a frustrating 34-28 defeat at home to Worcester Warriors after surrendering a commanding position against opponents who played the final 50 minutes with 14 men.

The hosts scored three tries and led by 13 points early in the second half, but Worcester produced a determined comeback to maintain their perfect start to the Elior Champ season with a fifth consecutive victory.

Hartpury made a flying start when an attack down the far wing opened up the visiting defence, allowing full-back Brad Denty to collect an inside pass and cross after five minutes. Harry Bazalgette converted to establish an early seven-point advantage.

The home side doubled their try tally in the 17th minute after an interception created an opportunity inside Worcester territory, with winger Charlie Powell finishing the move to put Hartpury firmly in control.

However, Worcester responded through their forwards. A powerful driving maul carried the visitors towards the line before James Cherry broke away to score and reduce the deficit.

The contest took another turn after half an hour when Worcester centre Siva Naulago received a red card following an incident at a ruck. Hartpury replacement Noah Williams was also shown a yellow card for his involvement.

Bazalgette kicked a penalty to extend Hartpury's lead, but the visitors refused to retreat. Patient attacking phases created an opening for Tim Anstee, who burst through the defensive line to claim Worcester's second try.

A further Bazalgette penalty on the stroke of half-time ensured Hartpury went into the interval 18-12 ahead, with the numerical advantage offering a promising platform for the second period.

That advantage appeared decisive eight minutes after the restart when centre Robbie Smith broke through from a scrum to score Hartpury's third try. Bazalgette converted, stretching the lead to 25-12.

Yet Worcester's scrum increasingly dictated proceedings, forcing repeated penalties and keeping Hartpury pinned close to their own line.

Captain Matt Kvesic eventually powered over after sustained pressure in the 63rd minute, with Will Reed converting to bring the visitors back within six points.

Four minutes later, Worcester struck again. Further pressure created space out wide for Louis Brown, whose finish cut Hartpury's advantage to a solitary point.

Hartpury prop Harry Wright was then sent to the sin bin following repeated infringements, cancelling out Worcester's numerical disadvantage at a crucial stage.

The visitors capitalised almost immediately as scrum-half Will Lane darted down the blindside from a driving maul and crossed in the corner. Reed's conversion put Worcester six points ahead for the first time.

Reed added a penalty to stretch the lead to nine points, leaving Hartpury needing a late response despite having controlled much of the opening hour.

Bazalgette landed his third penalty with four minutes remaining, reducing the deficit to six, but the hosts could not find another score.

Hartpury's attacking work had earlier provided plenty of encouragement, with Denty, Powell and Smith each finding a way through the Worcester defence. However, the hosts struggled to regain momentum once the visitors began dominating the set piece. The succession of penalties proved particularly costly, giving Worcester both territory and the opportunities needed to complete their remarkable comeback.

The result left Hartpury reflecting on a missed opportunity, having built a substantial lead against depleted opposition before Worcester's forward pressure and late scoring burst turned the match around.