Heath 16 Ilkley 13

It was a case of so near, yet so far for Ilkley on Saturday, as they left West Vale with only a solitary bonus point from a nip-and-tuck encounter.

Under a cloudless sky and in temperatures more accustomed to cricket than rugby, it was the home side that started the sharpest, placing Ilkley under immediate pressure.

Heath centres Jarrod Morris and Martin Moana looked particularly strong with ball in hand, the latter especially keen to use his bulk at any opportunity, but Ilkley held firm.

A much-needed drinks break allowed the away side to regroup, and they did so with immediate results.

With ball in hand, Ilkley suddenly looked dangerous, and snappy handling from Phil Howell and Joe Spencer set their side up in a good position just outside the 22.

Pick-and-go rugby from a now determined pack proved fruitful, and after several phases of pressure, it was Kris Stafford that dived over for a well-worked try.

Howell added the conversion with ease, for a 7-0 lead.

Heath replied quickly with a penalty from Charlie Lomas after Ilkley infringed at a ruck Ilkley’s polished line-out drill enabled them to secure possession but both sides found it hard to create momentum due to unforced errors.

With the first half enduring a slow death, it was a turn of class that breathed life into the clash.

Moana’s powerful run and classy offload allowed Martin White to place the ball below the posts, giving Lomas a simple conversion.

Ilkley levelled with a smartly-taken Howell penalty just before the break.

The exciting Ilkley start to the second half was all too brief, and Heath regained the lead with an audacious penalty attempt from near halfway by Lomas.

Charlie Scott performed admirably in tough conditions, and it was his breakaway run that set a platform for Ilkley’s next points.

His combination with centre Mark Kirkby lead to Heath transgressing at the breakdown, and the increasingly impressive Howell stepped up to level the scores at 13-13.

Handling errors and countless penalty concessions abounded before Lomas once again converted a needlessly conceded penalty from long range.

Howell, under pressure from the home defence, was unlucky to miss a snap drop goal attempt, and hard though Ilkley tried they could not pull the game out of the fire.