: : So surely this means Orcs weren't as good as men when it came to fighting - or maybe it was just sarumans Orcs - perhaps he got them at a Baradur second hand troop sale...

: While I have no numbers at my fingertips, keep in mind that the Riders of Rohan were on horseback, which tends to be a major advantage over foot troops.

: -RobRoy

Exactly. I do not find it difficult to believe that 100 cavalrymen could easily defeat a force three times their size but who were on foot, especially if the force had no pikes or halberds. I don't remember exactly, but it seems to me that orcs used shortswords, for the most part, which are effective in close hand-tohand combat, but virtually useless against cavalry.
-Olorin