Ilkley 21 Old Crossleyans 13

HEAVY overnight rain made the going soft for this critical encounter between these two old rivals. It was five years since the last fixture and ten since Ilkley had come out on top.

At times in the opening exchanges it looked as if the visitors, coached by former Dalesman Neil Spence, might become the first team to win a fortress Stacks Field for more than a year.

Referee Andy Baker twice penalised Ilkley for offside in the first ten minutes which enabled Chris Vine to give Crossleyans a 6-0 lead.

Poor play and a rash of penalties did little to encourage the large crowd of Ilkley supporters and it was only the home side's tenacious defence which kept Crocs at bay.

Ilkley were struggling to make their passes stick, their line-out wasn't functioning either and tackles were being missed. The signs were not good.

Then, out of nowhere, a trademark break down the middle saw stand-off Josh Kimber beat two men before sending out a beautiful pass to speedster Paul Petchey.

He outpaced the remaining defenders and went in under the posts. Kimber's conversion gave the Dalesmen a precious one-point lead.

A marginal forward pass halted another promising move and the let off seemed to encourage Crocs who became stronger and more confident.

However it was the Dalesmen who squandered a great chance to score after several good phases. A knock-on with the line in sight was a disappointing outcome.

Coach Rhys Morgan looked to revitalise his side early in the second half when Tom Baxter, Gus Ramsey and Steve Nolson were called to action.

A penalty gave Kimber the chance to put the pressure on with a kick to the corner, but the resulting line-out was ruled not straight. Crocs won the scrum and cleared only to find Petchey 25 metres out on the touchline.

He cut a great diagonal line, stepped inside then out again, steering what might have been ruled an obstructive path around James Crossley and sliced through the remaining defenders for a much-needed try.

Kimber did the business with the conversion and an eight-point lead should have given the home crowd some comfort but the nerves set in again.

Crocs grew in confidence and Vine missed a long-range penalty before a big hole opened up in the home defence for back rower Manny Riaz to charge 30 metres to score under the posts. The successful conversion reduced the lead to a single point.

Vine had a chance to give the visitors the lead but sliced his penalty kick after Petchey was penalised for holding on in is 22 after a probing kick.

At last Ilkley turned on the pressure and when they drove Crocs back at a five-metre scrum they were awarded a penalty try. Kimber's conversion completed the scoring.

Nolson was tap tackled into touch with the line in view as Ilkley chased the bonus-point try, but they had to settle for a gritty win when they weren't at their best.