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Message from Fylde following yesterday's tour games
"On behalf of the 26 Fylde boys, their parents and coaches may i say a very sincere thankyou to the extremely warm welcome you extended us on Sun 30th March. The effort that you as a club went to to enable the games to go ahead after the attrocious weather of the previous 24 hours was very much appreciated and didn't go unnoticed.
In particular please forward our special thanks to Dave Duxbury for his efforts prior to the tour and also to Nigel Postelthwaite for his refereeing and hospitality on the day.
It was a pleasure to see two committed squads competing against each other in what were two close contests. We appreciate the efforts you went to with a slightly depleted squad, enabling all our boys the chance of equal game time.Every member of the touring party thoroughly enjoyed themselves, taking happy memories back to the Fylde coast.
Once again please forward the appropriate thanks and we look forward to being able to reciprocate your hospitality in the future. Good luck for the remainder of the season.
Best Wishes
Mike Bickerstaffe(coach)
Graham Lanigan(assistant coach)"
Wharfedale roo missed chances as Ilkley triumph down under at Skippy
Perfect Rugby conditions greeted the 10 teams participating in the Yorkshire festival at Skipton rugby club. A strong Bradford & Bingley outfit were the first round opponents for the Ilkley U11's to overcome.
A task they were equal to, as two tries from Sam Ogden and one from Charlie Long led to a 19-5 victory with the Ilkley forwards helping to forge the win with fine performances from D'Arcy, Jacques and
Layton. Baildon came next and were duly brushed aside in a 26-0 whitewash with a brace from Ogden, one from Postlethwaite and a couple of classy, individual efforts from Chris Unsworth and Sam Baxter.
This result was laced with good periods of recycling and interplay in midfield from the likes of Hall, Pilling and Sayer. Next came Cleckheaton, as group matches came thick and fast with no respite. The momentum continued as Ogden again grabbed a brace of tries, one straight from the kick off following a long run from the rangy Sayer, who then got the chance to successfully convert a try of his own.
Charlie Long then barged his way through the defence to put down following good work from Kapadia and Burnett. Harry Brow then sped through in the final moments to close-off the score at an impressive 28-0. The final group game pitted Ilkley against hosts Skipton, buoyed by a passionate and vociferous home support. Although this commendable and impressive vocal encouragement from the assembled throng, soon turned to stunned silence as the young Olicanians put their neighbours to the sword and mercilessly ran in 6 unanswered tries. This was the fourth time of the tournament that Ilkley had managed to 'nil' their opponents leaving specialist defence coach and ex-Scottish international Tony Layton delighted, with Head Coach Nigel Postletwaite purring over what he described as a vintage performance and one of the best of his tenure. The tries came from Baxter and Ogden with two apiece, plus Unsworth and Postlethwaite with the latter converting all six kicks with ruthless efficiency in the mould of a young Jonny Wilkinson. Final score Ilkley 48 Skipton 0. The final beckoned.
Previous results now paled into insignificance, as Ilkley needed to regroup and dig deep to find an inner resolve in order to negotiate one final hurdle that could prevent them placing their hands on that coveted trophy, that more importantly also carries automatic entry into the prestigious all-yorkshire tournament. And my word, it was certainly no insignificant obstacle that stood before them in the form of a well-drilled, and formidable Wharfedale outfit that had the physical presence of a team weaned on raw meat. This was going to be by no means an easy feat, and as expected, it was raw passion and the meat in the scrum that literally meant that the two sides would virtually cancel each other out as neither was willing to concede one inch of territory. The crowd created a wonderful atmosphere as Ilkley were subsequently camped in their own half as Wharfedale's weight advantage meant their powerful pack rucked and mauled in a relentless pursuit of the tryline. The likes of d'Arcy, Long, Brearley and Brow throwing themselves into last-ditch saving tackles. Finally, the breakthrough came, Ilkley summoned up the second-half strength for one big rolling maul that in answer to the supporter's chants of "Drive, drive", kept going... and going... And going, past the halfway line and towards that ever-elusive tryline. A quick-thinking delivery from Jacques out to Unsworth meant the speedy inside-centre made for the corner at breakneck pace in all-out effort to evade the chasing Wharfedale forwards desperate to prevent what to them would be a heart-breaking score in a match neither side deserved to lose. Too late, as man of the match Chris Unsworth almost carefully placed the ball one-handed beyond the tryline, as to prevent any mishap, it effectively meant that Ilkley were the 2007 Yorkshire Festival Cup Champions. Matthew Postlethwaite duly obliged with the conversion and a few final minutes of tough, toe-to-toe resolve from both sides meant there was to be no more scoring in the match. The deadly rivalry was left on the pitch as both teams enjoyed the medal ceremony and a nice meal of cooked red meat (!) thanks to the wonderful hospitality shown by Skipton Rugby Club after another well-organised and successful tournament of junior rugby.
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