Penrith match off due to frost

With travel plans to Penrith already under threat of fog an early departure for the trek up the M6 to Penrith was essential. The morning forecast for that area was for just below freezing temperatures overnight but the club had been confident of playing come 2.15 p.m. Saturday. The omens began when Newcastle races were cancelled at 8 a.m. and the phone call at 9.00 a.m. to the club revealed a pitch deemed unplayable at that time. There was little chance of leaving a decision much beyond that and so the Penrith club reluctantly decided to postpone the fixture to prevent the Ilkley travel plans getting underway.

In fact Jonny Shanks, who had gone up Friday to visit with his family phoned brother Peter and told him all was perfect for rugby at midday. However those are the problems associated with the longer distances to travel in this North Two East league.

To compound the agony for the Ilkley club the second fifteen’s Premier league opponents scheduled to play at Stacks Field, Hull Ionians back worded on their trip to West Yorkshire on Thursday evening making impossible to get another suitable fixture at Stacks Field. The second team squad therefore also had a weekend off. It is a poor state of affairs when such an important and well equipped club as Hull Ionians cannot raise a second fifteen. The Ilkley players look forward to their weekend sport with enthusiasm and commitment and are thoroughly disappointed not to get a game.

The third fifteen were fortunate to have a fixture at Leodiensians.

The Club bar which had been stocked for a moderately busy weekend was left to serve about 20 to witness yet another England defeat, this time at the hands of the mighty All Blacks. There must surely be something that all northern hemisphere rugby players should learn from this setback and those against the Australians and South Africans. That lesson must even more surely be how to play full-on rugby WITHOUT giving away penalties.

This week the league programme continues with the visit of old friends and champion pie makers’ club, Pontefract. Derek Eves, now in the twighlight of an illustrious career leads the South Yorkshire side as player/coach. He is a talismanic figure and the Dalesmen will have nullify his threat from the start. Two weeks’ inactivity will mean that coach Hamish Pratt has a big job to do at Tuesday and Thursday training to get his men into tip top condition for Saturday’s encounter. Pontefract lie mid-table in North two.

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