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Dalesmen bide their time then turn the screw

In near perfect conditions, and in front of a packed stand, the Dalesmen clinched a victory to put last week’s setback at Sandal behind them and reinforce their second place in Yorkshire league one.

The big crowd was swelled by stars of yesteryear and their personal trainers all of whom had been treated to a sumptuous lunch prior to the match.

A clear blue sky and temperature hovering above freezing made for a perfect pitch, lovingly prepared by the Ilkley groundstaff. Heath came to Stacks Field brimming with optimism off the back of a six match winning streak. Ilkley were intent on picking up the pieces from last week’s defeat at Sandal. The mood in the home camp was positive but cautious.

So it proved to be. The Ilkley supporters had their nerves jangling ten-a-penny in an error strewn first half in which the visitors took the initiative.

A penalty awarded by referee Mr Tall gave Heath’s ace goal kicker and playmaker Ryan Piper a chance. It was wide. A let-off for the Dalesmen. The visitors then missed touch with a penalty. Ilkley knocked on. Heath’s scrum was in disarray. Ilkley had free kick. Charlie Cudworth broke. Shanks had a penalty in front. 3 – 0 to Ilkley.

The stuttering start continued. Ilkley looked to have the upperhand in set pieces. Attempts to get the ball wide were frustrated by mistakes and those mistakes were pounced upon by an eager Heath back row. They swooped onto a knock on to push the Dalesmen back into their 22 and with a free ball looked seriously dangerous. The Ilkley defence, a feature of the season and of the half, held firm, but a penalty shot allowed Piper to equalise.

Heath were not allowing the home side a yard of space and every sign of promise was being turned over or snuffed out in the battle at ground level. It was a matter of once too many as the Dalesmen attacked close in. Heath’s number three received a yellow card.

Now could Ilkley take advantage? The answer was no, they couldn’t. Heath battled under severe pressure and the home side’s mistakes and turnovers continued to accumulate. Two Heath penalties in succession gave Piper another shot at goal from the 22. He is deadly from that range. Ilkley were behind 3 – 6. Twenty five minutes gone.

Now the Dalesmen had to dig deep. Heath threw everything at them and the visitors made the mistakes at critical moments. From a Heath knock-on with the Ilkley line in sight, the Dalesmen had a scrum on their 22. The clearance from deep missed touch, but so quick up was flyer Terence Sibanda, he forced the Heath player to mishandle. Sibanda prized the ball clear and found Lee Gilbank on his outside on the 22. Gilbank broke. He sidestepped. He jinked. He wove a silky path through the bemused defence. Suddenly he had the line in front and thirty metres of clear space. Noone could catch him. Try. Peter Shanks converted and the Dalesmen had edged into a 10 – 6 lead.

There were four minutes to slug it out to the interval and despite a close call they went in to listen to the wise words of coach Kay with that slender 4 point lead.

His words clearly did not fall on deaf ears. Ilkley came out with all guns blazing. A frenetic opening to the half was contested well at both ends but one Heath onslaught was stopped in its tracks by a fieresome tackle by Liam Frost. That set the benchmark for more big hits and, even with skipper Mckenzie yellow carded, Heath failed to break the defensive lines. Piper had a penalty shot go just wide and threw what turned out to be the last real barrage at Ilkley. The Frost tackling display continued with an even bigger hit but somehow Ilkley managed to turnover ball three times in quick succession.

It took another knock-on with spare men outside to finally knock the stuffing out this brave Heath side.

The deadlock was finally broken. Ilkley had a lineout deep in Heath’s 22. They took and drove three times before sending the ball out wide for Shanks to find Stuart Vincent on an arrow-like angle and at unstoppable pace to glide in and score a trademark try. Shanks improved to make it 17 – 6.

Heath were spent. Ilkley were in the ascendancy.

Kay began to ring the changes. Nick Bell came on for Tim Barley with the back line reorganised.

Two lineouts were well won. The big IT specialist Botha had stepped admirably into the sidelined Richard Kemble’s boots and he and stalwart Dan Wright had great games behind the coalface gang of three Jon Hutchinson, Gareth Archer and John Cooksey. The tight five were never seriously troubled today.

From the second line the ball was spun wide through the safe hands of Vincent and Frost and out to Sibanda. The flyer stepped out of a tackle and set off at blistering speed for the line. The defence was outpaced. The try was converted. Heath were out sight. 24 – 6.

Mark Hibbs and Fred Matthews entered the fray for the Dalesmen. Heath’s manpower was depleted as injuries took their toll. It was all Ilkley for the last fifteen minutes.

Two lineouts deep in Heath’s 22 resulted in two more tries. The first for Charles Cudworth after a drive of unstoppable quality set up by the big man Botha. The second was in similar vein. This time Hibbs claimed the score. Shanks’ reliable boot failed with the final kick but the Dalesmen had stamped their undoubted class on this match having confronted and then quelled a stern and aggressive Heath side who have proved they are a force to be reckoned with in this tough league.

36 – 6 was the final score. The home crowd were satisfied and, in the end, royally entertained by two spirited sides and an excellent refereeing display.

Ilkley remain in second place four points ahead of third placed Selby. A nail-biting end to the season is in store for the Stacks Field faithful. Next week the club play Cross Green rivals Otley in the Tim Bucknall trophy. Kick off is at 2.15 p.m.

Related Links:
Sandal vs Ilkley
League Table
Fixtures