Ilkley 31

Pocklington 15

Two tries from Simon Smith and one each from Dan Nulty and Anthony Cadman were enough to give Ilkley new hope of league survival and condemned their plucky opponents to life in the lower division next season.

Pocklington needed the win to give them any lingering hope of avoiding the drop. Ilkley needed it to give themselves a fighting chance of maintaining their Yorkshire Division two status next season.

Two more home games, this week against Ripon and on April 12 against Skipton and two away at Leos and West Leeds will be crucial. The Ilkey management and supporters' nerves, already severely frayed, will be tingling over the forthcoming weeks. The players and coaching team will be working long and hard to lift themselves for the final push.

The crowd was somewhat depleted due to atrocious weather and the lure of Six Nations rugby on the Beeb. Nonetheless those gathered warmed to the Ilkley effort after they picked themselves up from a three point half time deficit.

Pocklington finally capitulated after Ilkley's third try, seemingly accepting their fate. However hard Ilkley had tried during the first period they seemed intent on beating themselves with a catalogue of offences followed by verbal exhortations to the referee when it had soon become obvious that he was not going to be influenced by such histrionics.

The heavy rain had left the pitch sodden and a tricky crosswind made the kicking game somewhat difficult. That Ilkley had the safe boot of skipper Cadman back in his number ten jersey was comfort following last week's problems.

Pocklington, however, fielded an equally competent kicker in full-back Taylor. He had to come up to fly-half after they lost Bowling in the first action of the game after he had come off second best in stopping Stuart Nesbit on the charge. Not long after Taylor and Craig MacLoughlin were both sin-binned for indulging in a bit of fisty-cuffs.

Ilkley got their backs moving well and always looked to threaten as the ball was moved out wide. Dan Nulty, fast becoming a scoring machine, was put clear but his kick was not quite good enough. He made amends by sprinting clear of two Pock defenders to go in and under for a try after ten minutes.

Cadman stepped up to make the conversion and it looked as though Ilkley could cut loose. There is strength in the Ilkley backs these days. Sean Gilbert is a strong runner and went close a number of times. When he is stopped he sets the ball well. Phil Moffat looks more and more confident by the game and clearly relishes running at the opposition.

Simon Smith is beefing up the middle and with ball in hand he always looks a likely try scorer. Ben MacDonald, deputising for the concussed Nick Bell, showed touches of his jinking running. It was therefore a little strange that the strike force available was not used more often, the pack instead opting for driving mauls and rucks that often resulted in the slippery ball going loose.

However the forwards were every bit up to the task, taking most of the line-out ball and holding the scrums well. The front row of Mike Noble, Stuart Nesbit and Ben Wade did all that was asked of them in the engine room department.

On a muddy day like Saturday it's no fun in there! Matt Newberry and Andy Pell controlled much of the line ball and it is a worry that the workhorse Pell was carried off after an hour with a serious leg injury.

Nick Brook controls the area around the base of the scrum well and is tireless in the loose and his young open side colleague Ian Mackenzie is learning with every game. Craig MacLoughlin works hard for those precious metres.

The return next week of Charlie Cudworth and Tim Barley will give coach Richard Midgeley more options. Ollie Coughlan had a sound game at scrum half, his lack of physical size being made up for with an overdose of competitive effort. With Gus Rodgers also set to return week spirits should be high for the visit of Ripon.

Taylor's return to the fray was followed by a period of sustained pressure on the Ilkley line, helped substantially by the wind and the vocals of the Ilkley players. A penalty into touch and a well taken line out set Taylor up for a forceful run at the Ilkley defence. He should have been tackled but forced his way over for a try which he also improved. Add that to another penalty in front for another unforced and unnecessary Ilkley offence and Pocklington took a 10-7 lead into half-time.

The second period gave Ilkley the wind advantage but no let up from their own verbosity. They were sent back from good positions so many times that even the crowd were wondering, first, why Mr Hartley was not picking up the Pocklington illegal incursions, and then punishing the Dalesmen for calling for the whistle.

However Mr Hartley had made his mark early and it would have been sensible to accept his word. As the match progressed it became increasingly difficult to distinguish the colours of the shirts. Refereeing in such conditions is just as difficult a task as playing. Ilkley ended up with double the penalty count against them. It is fortunate that these indiscretions did not cost the match.

It was tremendous break from Simon Smith that broke the deadlock. After great work by the forwards a little jink and dummy from Cadman was enough to give Smith the chance to get up a head of steam and suddenly he had shaken off three Pock defenders to go in for a try under the posts and move his side 14-10 in front. Then the normally reliable Cadman got a touch of last week's gips and missed a penalty kick in front of goal before putting away a second slightly less easy kick at goal for 17-10.

Chris Hems had by now replaced young Mackenzie and John Hutchinson young Ben Wade.

Smith was an increasing threat as Ilkley pressed home their advantage, camping deep in Pocklington's half for much of the remainder of the game. He was rewarded again for his efforts as he cut inside and through almost the whole Pocklington side to emerge with ball in hand to bullock over for his second. Cadman added the third after a string of penalties had stretched the Pocklington defence. He took a short one and made three metres to touch down. The conversions of both tries were good and the Dalesmen were home but far from dry.

The inevitable lack of concentration allowed Pocklington back into the game with a try out wide after some good work by their tireless No 8 Atkinson. A beautiful floated pass to winger Allan allowed him to chase his own grubber kick to pick up and score in the corner.

That was that. Players, coaches and crowd breathed an audible sigh of relief. Ilkley live to fight another day as they leap frog rivals Leodiensians to go fourth from bottom on points difference. Ilkley may rue that little lapse at the end. Seven points just could make all the difference in this nerve-jangling climax to the season. Roll on Ripon on Saturday. Kick-off is 3 pm.

Meantime the car park fund continues to receive generous support from club members. Chairman Richard Scargill is extremely grateful to the positive response he has received from the whole club membership.

He says he is on target as far as members contributions are concerned but urges any member who has not yet responded to do so soon.