Ilkley 6 Lymm 10

THE gloom that descended on the Wharfe valley was matched only by the mood in the Ilkley camp, as the Dalesmen once again failed to capitalise on the ever so slight advantage they had over their opponents for much of the match.

Having pick-pocketed a win in Cheshire in September, this was the season’s first opportunity for a double,

Ilkley must know where their game-plan went wrong and this was a match that should have been won. That perennial problem, the line-out, re-emerged and Ilkley lost a total of eight of their own, which put them under renewed pressure in defence or throwing away hard-earned yards in attack.

On the other hand, they did win two of Lymm’s lines and a scrum too, though they also lost two. A 10-6 defeat earned a bonus point, but results elsewhere mean that Ilkley now lie third from bottom going into the New Year : not a good place, as they say.

Lymm notched the first score, somewhat against the run of play, when Ilkley turned over possession and the visitor’s stand-off Oli Lancaster kicked deep into the Ilkley 22. The line was lost, Ilkley were penalised and Richard McEvoy obliged with the boot.

Ilkley were straight back on the offensive and a nice move saw Ben Magee come into the line at pace. A pass outside might have done the trick, but at least Ilkley were awarded a penalty that Joe Rowntree stroked over to level the scores.

Into the second quarter of the game, the crowd was treated to some enterprising rugby from both sides, but it was the two defences that impressed more, neither unto giving much away with some truly heroic tackling.

The remainder of the half coughed up a yellow card for Lymm’s Adam Bray and an injury to Paul Petchey, when he was bundled into touch. There was no further score though and it was 3-3 at half-time.

New signing Nico Nyemba replaced veteran Jon Hutchinson, but the opening ten minutes of the second half were ones that Ilkley will want to forget, with a flurry of poor passing and kicking out of hand.

The tackling was still top notch though and a threatening Lymm move came to a shattering halt as a combination of Magee and Gus Ramsey clattered McEvoy into touch,

Ilkley then set up some wonderful chances, a Josh Kimber penalty taking the Dalesmen to 5m from the Lymm goal-line. Ilkley then contrived to lose the line and even when J-H Johnson combined with Magee moments later on a counter-attack, they lost another two of their own throws in quick succession.

This presaged a poor ten minutes for the hosts as they conceded two strikes against the head and another line-out, though no score was conceded. Indeed, a long-range Rowntree penalty missed narrowly in the same period.

The second lost scrum however proved crucial, as Lymm surged forward and flashed the ball wide. Wing Richard Halford made good ground before passing inside to flanker Ollie Higginson who touched down close enough for McEvoy to add the points with ease.

At 10-3 down, Ilkley needed to ensure at least a losing bonus point and this came from the reliable boot of Rowntree when the Lymm scrum buckled under pressure and a penalty was conceded. 10-6 down now.

With 5 minutes to go, Ilkley needed a miracle and this duly arrived when Lymm full-back Joe Knowles fluffed a clearance kick in his own 22 and the ball landed midfield on the 22. Unfortunately, the Ilkley follow-up lacked any venom or pace and Lymm were able to clear, though only so far as Johnson.

The winger’s run was brought to an abrupt halt and Lymm won a scrum. The Number Eight Adam Bray knocked on, but that was the last play of the game and Ilkley had lost their eighth match of the season.

This was a match in which defences reigned supreme. Ilkley had their chances, but didn’t take them, with poor passing, or not passing, frittering away possible points. The line-outs were catastrophically awful.

The welcome return of prop Tom Baxter and the inclusion of Nico Nyemba have bolstered the pack, which performed well in the tight, but the backs lacked an edge and this was to prove crucial.

Ilkley’s next game is against bottom of the table Burnage on their artificial surface in South Manchester. Here, a win is essential.