This weekend the Dalesmens’ first fifteen, without a game at the weekend as result of a frost bound Yarnbury pitch, visit Sandal for a 2.15 p.m. kick off in the battle of the Titans in Yorkshire league one (league leaders Sandal with 27 points, play second Ilkley with 26 points), whilst the second team also go to Sandal for a midday kick-off.

Meanwhile Ilkley's conquerors in the EDF Vase competition, Old Brodleians, were knocked out in the quarter final tie, away at Spalding in a narrow 15 -12 defeat. That probably takes a bit of the pain away from losing to Brods in the last 32, with Twickenham on the horizon.

On the injury front Iain McKenzie’s badly damaged face is healing, The stitches (13 of them), were removed last weekend. The club’s website has had a number of posts apoplectic about the behaviour of the YMCA player responsible. It was not the kind of play expected at any level of rugby. A number of spectators, attending an Ilkley match for the first time, must have wondered whether this sort of play was normal. Well, thankfully, virtually all the league matches in which the Dalesmen have participated this season have been played in tremendous spirit and sportsmanship. This incident was an exception to the norm in Yorkshire league rugby. It is to be hoped it remains so.

Wind causes havoc with Dalesmens’ cohesion.

 pics at www.image-and-style.co.uk to come

Ilkley came out of this league one encounter with two more vital league points. The game was spoilt as a spectacle by close up isobars and Ilkley’s propensity to spill what little ball a plucky young YMCA side allowed them. To exacerbate the situation, a host of unnecessary penalties were conceded by the home side.

That devilish wind came right down the valley at full tilt. Playing the East Holmes corners seemed the sensible option but a number of apparently well aimed punts hovered inexplicably on the wind and failed to arrive at destination.

Y had come to Ilkley on the back of a run of poor results and a parting of the ways with their coach. Six of their side were colts players, the rest loyal stalwarts of the club including splendid number eight Neil Walker. For the whole of the first the first half there was little in the play. Ilkley bagged one try after a penalty and a lineout had set up the drive. Iain McKenzie claimed the score.

For fifteen minutes the game had been in stalemate. A poor start by the Dalesmen hung over the game like a cloud. The fluency and try scoring rugby of the previous week deserted them. Maybe it was the new Gilbert balls, more likely the conditions.

Miraculously, after the river had been flowing through the ground on Monday night, the ground staff had got a roller on the pitch. The surface was up to the familiar high standards of Stacks Field.

A big crowd including the Deputy Lord Mayor and constituency MP Mrs Cryer had gathered in anticipation of another Ilkley try-fest. Trouble was nodody had told YMCA who tore at Ilkley as if it was a promotion playoff.

The McKenzie try should lifted the Dalesmen but it was Y who fought back. Ilkley conceded two penalties and had given another “free ball” to Y inside their own 22. Desperate measures saw Mckenzie on the wrong side. A totally irrational response by Y scrum half Wulff saw the talismanic skipper taken off with an appalling face wound and Wulff despatched to the sin-bin for ten minutes. Illegal use of the boot has no place in this game. Wulff could certainly regard himself lucky not to be taking an early bath.

Rhodri Jones replaced the unfortunate McKenzie.

With a man down Y could have succumbed to a strong Ilkley offensive. But, despite some better efforts from the Dalesmen the score remained stubbornly 7 – 0. Nothing gelled in attack and Y took every advantage to launch some dangerous counters, uncommonly as a result of at least three turnover balls.

Half time came with the neutrals wondering if this could be the same side that had bagged 71 points the week previous. The committed supporters knew there was going to be battle royal in the second half. Coach Kay would have to ring some changes to make things work better. He moved Jack Shaylor to number 10 and Tim Barley in to scrum half. This change would allow his men to take advantage of a totally dominant Dalesmens’ set scrum, without which it could have been a different story come full time.

The change certainly gave the Dalesmens’ game more direction, but didn’t get rid of those nagging penalties and turnover balls.

Once again the mould was broken with a penalty shot by Peter Shanks who made no mistake from 30 metres – not bad in the wind.

Y then started to show some small but perceptible signs of cracking. A big Shaylor kick into the Y 22 produced a 5 metre scrum as they were forced to kick a loose ball dead. A penalty, a lineout and a great ball whizzed out by Barley to Shaylor found Liam Frost coming in at unstoppable pace to score under the posts. The siege was broken. Ilkley had a 17 – 0 cushion as Shanks made no mistake with the conversion.

Y were not finished and the Dalesmen had some defending to do, as yet more penalties were conceded. The final dagger was cast into Y’s courageous fight as Y knocked on with what looked as though it could have been a scoring pass. The loose ball was hacked on by Terence Sibanda. He and Jones flew after the ball forcing Y to seek the comfort of touch only ten metres from their line. The lineout was won. The drive for the line was held up. Ilkley had a 5 metre scrum. It was won. Brewer picked and blasted over for the try. Shanks again obliged to make it 24 – 0.

Insult to injury was added a couple of minutes later as Shaylor swooped like an eagle onto a loose ball and set off from the half way line with Y hands groping at his shirt. Somehow he came out of a melee of players and was free. The eagle landed. Ilkley had their fourth try and Shanks, kicking like a metronome, put the game out of sight with another conversion. 31 – 0.

It was increased to 34 – 0 with another great Shanks kick and that should have been that.

Y lost another man to a yellow card. Brendan Kelley replaced Ian Moffatt on the wing.

Nick Bell equalised the manpower as he too was carded for blocking.

The Dalesmen forgot that men from Ainley Top don’t lie down and wilt.

Y bravely fought back with two good tries, one from James Bracken and the other from seventeen year old Adam Ryder. Both brightened up the day for the Y supporters and provided some good entertaining rugby for those neutrals in the crowd to enjoy.

The Dalesmen were good for the victory despite putting in a below par performance, but hats off to this young Y side for giving their all.

The league table is beginning to unfold with Ilkley opening up a gap on the chasing pack. Both Selby (at home to Heath) and Scarborough (at Salem) lost ground. Salem and Bridlington are coming up on the rails.

This weekend league pressure subsides as Ilkley have a ”club” fixture with Skipton, both teams having no further interest in the EDF Vase. It will be shades of that titanic EDF tussle earlier in the season when the Dalesmen came out on top in extra time.

Perhaps the result of the day was the Ilkley second fifteen’s magnificent victory at Morley. Having succumbed to a shed load of points earlier in the season, the resurgent 2’s travelled to Scatcherd Lane, home of the semi-pro side, and came away with a hard fought 12 -10 victory.

What a transformation. What a win!