Ilkley 62 Northern 0

THE weather did its best to spoil this game, but even seeing four seasons in the same day did nothing to disrupt Ilkley’s progression as contenders for promotion.

The Dalesmen notched ten tries to put a poor Northern side to the sword, the bonus point coming before the half-time whistle.

It was a great home-coming for Aussie flanker Nick Carolan, who crossed for two fine tries and the second half performance by the home side’s backs had the crowd purring.

Tom Collard started his first match in three weeks and Ollie Renton was back in his favoured back-row berth, the previous week’s exertions proving too much for Stu Brewer’s nagging knee injury.

The first try came when Ilkley’s enthusiastic start led to a line-out, won by the increasingly impressive James Spencer. Poor passing wasn’t punished by the visitors and Ben Magee took full advantage to score out wide. The conversion was missed, but Ilkley had an early five-point lead.

The following quarter of an hour produced little in the way of open rugby, the wet conditions contributing to a host of mistakes from both sides. Ilkley eventually got their game back on track when a Josh Kimber penalty kick took the hosts to a line-out ten metres out.

Quick recycling and a great driving maul produced the desired result, as Renton emerged from the drive, ball in hand. Kimber’s kick made it 12-0.

Even when Ilkley made unforced errors, Northern failed to capitalise, though stand-off Donald Collins’ boot punished any Ilkley transgression with a vengeance from a territorial point of view.

Northern’s best part of the game was in the last 15 minutes of the first half. Pat Harper’s great break came to nothing and that was just about it, despite some alarmingly bad line-out play by the hosts.

Ironically, the next score came when Ilkley won a line-out and J-H Johnson took a superb line to bullock his way over for a great try, duly converted by Kimber

The pick of the first-half tries came about just before the break. A poor clearance kick was fielded by Tom Collard, who fed Magee. After a run of around 30 metres he chipped ahead and Carolan won the race to touch down. Kimber’s conversion gave the Dalesmen a 26-0 half-time lead.

As has often been the case with this season’s Ilkley side, the second half was more expansive, aided and abetted by the fact that Northern needed something from the game. It was unfortunate for the visitors that every single mistake they made was savagely punished.

Ilkley’s backs were on fire and three swift tries from Alastair Monks, Steve Nolson and a second from Johnson sealed Northern’s fate, with Kimber’s two conversion successes making it 45 -0. The support play on show was second to none at this stage, all these tries being right from the top drawer.

The visitors battled gamely, but had no answer to Ilkley’s firepower in the backs and it appeared to the large crowd that to keep the visitors from scoring at all came to be a priority.

This aim was achieved when the normally reliable boot of Collins failed a relatively simple penalty attempt and Ilkley scored their last brace via James Crossley and Kimber, the stand-off completing another imperious display with a try and conversion to make the final score 62-0.

Sheffield’s beating of Pocklington means they remain a point ahead of Ilkley so a play-off is increasingly likely, but at least the Dalesmen have the satisfaction of avenging their disastrous November defeat with some little style.

The Easter break is approaching and after that ? Who knows ? This team is well worthy of promotion and if it means a play-off, so be it !