Birkenhead Park pack too much power for Dalesmen

THE floodgates opened early at Stacks Field when Ilkley hosted former high-flyers Birkenhead Park on Saturday.

A decent enough first half, during which the Dalesmen scored two scintillating tries, was eclipsed by the visitors’ performance in the second, when their towering pack squeezed the life out of their hosts.

With skipper Josh Kimber and Iain Mackenzie missing Joe Rowntree moved to stand off with new signing Nathan Smith brought in to the back-row.

Ilkley started brightly enough with a couple of enterprising breaks, but the writing was on the wall when the visitors won the first scrum with something to spare and mauled their way to towards the goal line. Only stout defence prevented a try

It was an ominous sign of things to come. Park took a strike against the head and this time their pack made no mistake, lock Jack Ashcroft crashing over from short range.

Dave Hall’s conversion attempt went wide and within minutes Ilkley hit back. Park kicked long and deep into the arms of full-back Ben Magee on the Ilkley 22.

His scything run of 50m was ably supported by Elliot Morgan and a quick one-two 20m from the Park line enabled Magee to touch down for a truly memorable try, which Rowntree narrowly failed to convert.

Park’s forwards were causing all sorts of trouble and Ilkley started to give away penalties after a long period of leniency from Colchester referee Matt Rozier. The second of these, just five metres into the Ilkley half ,was rifled over by Hall to give Park the lead again.

Another master-class from the home backs, this time initiated by Paul Petchey, produced a second Ilkley try.

The home side won clean line-out ball and in from the blind-side came Petchey at pace. A lovely show of the ball to the Park defence enabled the winger to off-load to JH Johnson, who in turn passed back inside to the supporting Magee to make it 10-8.

With 15 minutes of the half remaining, Park turned up the gas. A Rowntree penalty was kicked dead and from the resulting scrum, Park’s forwards powered up the pitch.

Scrum-half Ryan Cooper was adjudged to have illegally halted the move and saw yellow. The Ilkley pack defended the first two of three quick-fire scrums, but at their third attempt, Park’s strength told and over went No 8 David Ibbotson to restore the lead.

This was short-lived as Rowntree equalised within five minutes with a well-struck penalty.

Back on the attack, the ball was knocked on in the Ilkley centre and Park took full advantage, with Jack Ashcroft turning up on the wing to go over in the corner and this time Hall added the extras.

There was just time in the half to see Cooper return, but after some good work by lock James Spencer, another pass went to ground.

It was the first signs of the storms to come. The second half saw the visiting pack completely dominate their hosts and within ten minutes, Ilkley had lost two strikes against the head, the second of which allowed lock Laurence Thomas to score with Hall converting.

With Ilkley needing desperately to score next, play from both sides became sloppy, which was hardly surprising as the drizzle got heavier.

A bit of petulance at the maul resulted in Spencer and Park’s skipper, Matthew Ibbotson both earning a ten minute cool-off.

While they were in the sin bin, it was Ilkley who suffered most, seemingly having no answer to Park’s forward play and conceded a harsh penalty try as the lead stretched to 34-13

Ilkley were doing their utmost to wrestle something from the game, but no side can play without the ball and Park’s intelligent adapting to the conditions put them in in control in the closing stages.

Handling became something of a lottery and even when a break-out was attempted by Ilkley, an ill-judged kick was returned with interest.

The Ilkley defence knocked on, Park won the scrum and then a penalty. Oozing confidence Park opted for another scrum from which scrum-half Sam Chidley scored his side’s sixth and final try, duly converted by Hall .

Ilkley’s last 15 minutes had been as full of enterprise as the conditions allowed. Winger Declan Jackson and prop Dan Lawrence made their first team debuts and there was certainly no lack of effort from the Ilkley side.

Unfortunately, 21 unanswered second-half points tell their own tale.