Ilkley 5 Sheffield 19

Sheffield are easily the best side the Dalesmen have played this season. In both home and away fixtures Ilkley gave a good account of themselves but came off distinctly second best.

Sheffield have a nice blend of youthful exuberance and exper- ience.

This is typified by full back Greg Hurst and that 44-year-old warhorse John Dudley who has seen his previous clubs rise up the leagues to Premiership level.

Sheffield run exciting lines out wide and drive remorselessly forward in tight play. It is no surprise they are pushing for automatic promotion.

However, make no mistake, this was no pushover for the Steelmen. The Dalesmen are much improved themselves, coming from a low point prior to the big freeze when they were beaten 35-19 at Abbeydale.

Despite a biting easterly win there was an air of mild optimism following the recent good run of results. The thought of occupying the smart new clubhouse facing you from the other side was a major attraction as it rapidly takes shape. However the hardy annuals had to grin and bear the cold.

Indeed things began to feel a lot warmer as the Dalesmen started brightly and with confidence.

The early exchanges were about even but then debutant prop Chris Hamill got the excitement levels up with a good charge.

A penalty on the Sheffield 10 metre line won them a line-out then a scrum and a free kick.

That set Kirk Arundale off on a run that was stopped by a high tackle. The penalty was pushed just the wrong side of the line to concede possession to Sheffield.

This was the second “what might have been” moment. It was a genuine mistake but it unsettled the home side momentarily.

The first “what might have been” moment was the punishment of the high tackle. For many referees it would have been a yellow card.

A Sheffield penalty on halfway took them into the Ilkley 22. A line-out was won and Sheffield were rewarded with a penalty for a high tackle. and Donal Collins put his side 3-0 up.

The force was with the visitors now. They knocked on when it was easier to score. They were piling on the pressure but the Dalesmen were digging in and defending well.

Ilkley lost a five-metre scrum but scrambled the ball into touch. Sheffield won the line-out and had another penalty for offside. Collins added the three points.

Five minutes later they were awarded another penalty inside their own half. A line-out was well won on Ilkley’s 10 metre line and the Dudley drive took them another 15 metres to set up a superb try for winger James Montgomery. Ilkley were 11-0 down after 35 minutes.

On the stroke of half-time Collins saw a penalty attempt from halfway rattle the upright leaving the Dalesmen with three scores to find after the break. Whilst not impossible it looked a big ask.

Sheffield managed somehow to squander what looked like a certain score by dropping the ball on the line.

In between all this the Dalesmen were building a head of steam but at crucial moments they were beating themselves, mainly by running into one another off the back of rucks and mauls.

Whether this aspect of the game was refereed to text book levels is a moot point but, firstly it spoiled most of Ilkley’s better chances and, second it spoiled the continuity of the game Clearly referee Mel Tait was right by the book but the stoppages began to get to the crowd and the players. No doubt the coaches will be working on this over the coming week ahead of the visit to Selby.

To add to the frustration and annoyance of the crowd Neil Spence was yellow carded for rolling back onto the tackled player.

Down to 14 men, they were also 14-0 down as the resulting penalty sailed over. How reassuring it must be to have a kicker like Collins.

Ilkley’s kicker, Peter Shanks was out of commission with the injury sustained last week.

To add insult to injury Ilkley conceded a soft try as a tricky kick towards their touchline bobbled badly for Richard Greenfield gifting Montgomery his second try.

With 15 minutes to go the Dalesmen mounted a fightback. Dudley was penalised and yellow carded.

Ilkley began to dominate the set pieces, particularly the scrums. A penalty and a line-out produced a consolation try for John Oakes after four or five phases of superb driving by the forwards.

Then young Tom Maclean was nearly in after one of his trademark weaving runs, but 19 points was too big a mountain to climb and Sheffield live to battle on with Malton for top spot.

The visit Selby on Saturday looking for a win.