Ilkley 25 Stockport 22

Ilkley returned to winning ways with an entertaining victory over fifth-placed Stockport at Stacks Field.

A four-try bonus point still eludes the Dalesmen, but the team is beginning to click and adapt to the pace of National Three North.

Ilkley welcomed back Stevie Graham and Ben Magee from injury while Pat Power made his debut in the back row when John Pickersgill had to leave the field.

It was 18 minutes of end to end probing by both sides before a Joe Rowntree penalty troubled the scoreboard.

Ilkley extended their lead when a rare strike against the head in the Stockport half gave them possession.

Slick handling in the backs and a clever step inside by JH Johnson enabled the winger to take the scoring pass from centre Elliot Morgan.

Johnson was able to run round under the posts, making Rowntree’s conversion a formality and giving Ilkley a ten-point advantage.

This cushion did not last long though, as a training-pitch move by Stockport and a couple of missed tackles resulted in a try under the posts from scrum-half Sean Street. the extras were added by Richard Sackville-West.

An Ilkley attack broke down when the ball was stripped in the tackle and when Stockport countered, the Ilkley backs strayed offside and Sackville-West levelled the scores.

The second half continued as the first half had finished. Stockport’s ball-retention in the tackle and their support-play were commendable, but Ilkley’s defence held out.

A Stockport scrum on the halfway line gave the visitors clean ball, but the ball was hoofed straight into the waiting arms of full back Magee.

A scintillating run down the right wing stretched the visitors’ defence. A perfectly-weighted pass to the supporting Morgan saw the centre accelerate past two despairing tackles and dive in at the corner for a great try. Rowntree’s conversion attempt drifted wide.

Ilkley’s forwards were on top, but they suffered a setback when Nick Carolan was adjudged to have entered a ruck illegally and was carded.

They repelled a couple of Stockport attacks before going down to 13 men when Power was sin-binned.

With the game so finely balanced, this proved to be too much for the Ilkley defence. The visitors’ superior numbers told and after some excellent offloading, flanker Ben Marsland scored under the posts. Sackville-West’s conversion gave Stockport the lead for the first time at 17-15.

Carolan’s return to the fray proved timely. A good passing movement got the ball to Johnson who kicked the ball ahead when closed down.

With the Stockport defence having to turn round, the onrushing Steve Nolson won the race to touch down and Rowntree’s conversion restored Ilkley’s lead.

At 22-17, Ilkley knew they needed another score as the clock ticked down and were awarded two penalties. The first also saw Stockport’s Van Zyl sent from the field.

Rowntree’s first attempt was wide, but the scrum-half made no mistake with the second and Ilkley were now two scores ahead.

Rather than trying merely to defend this lead though, back into the attack came the Ilkley forwards and when a Josh Kimber penalty found touch on the Stockport 22, a rolling maul moved ominously close to the visitors’ goal line.

Unfortunately for the Dalesmen, the promising move stalled and Stockport cleared.

A fourth bonus-point try came agonisingly close, but the pass to Johnson went behind him in what turned out to be Ilkley’s last attack and there remained just enough time for Stockport to get their own bonus point when winger Miles Hall squeezed in at the corner.

The missed conversion was the last kick and Ilkley were home and dry.