Beverley 12, Ilkley 11

Ilkley travelled to Beverley with confidence on the back of their home victory early on in the season. They came away thoroughly disappointed with yet another defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

Just one point separated the sides at the end of a scrappy affair which was refereed to the precise letter of law by Mark Becker who had travelled up from Norfolk to take charge of this crucial bottom of the table clash.

It would be churlish to lay any blame for the result on the refereeing of the game. It was, however, the zealous application of the laws that detracted from what might have been a decent game of rugby for the sparse crowd to watch.

Rapport with the players has an important part to play in making rugby a spectacle. The players had no empathy with the official and the official had little or no empathy with the players. This was as far from a spectacle as it gets. Surely 40 plus penalties per match is not in the best interests of either players or spectators.

Ilkey started well enough and could have notched up a score within the first couple of minutes. Then it was Beverley's turn to put Ilkley under pressure. All the initial forays were frustrated by the referee's whistle. Nine penalties and ten minutes into the game and Cadman put his side three points up with a kick in front of goal.

Phil Moffatt suffered a boot to the face and had to leave the field. Namesake Ian took his place - a welcome return to first team action this. Regrettably he lasted only till just after half-time when a kick on his calf forced him to retire early.

Tim Barley went close with a great burst off the back of a scrum but his effort was scuppered with another marginal offence and the inevitable penalty.

Mike Noble then picked up a loose drop out and charged towards the line but again the whistle reversed the direction of play.

On 30 minutes the stalemate was broken when Dan Nulty added a try with a fine run down the left, Phil Merkin having got the ball away to Ilkley's Man-of-the-Match Sean Gilbert who fed the elusive flyer. He skinned two tacklers to go in for a good try. The conversion was just wide. Ilkley looked good for their 8-0 lead.

As is becoming a regular feature of the back and reds' play this year, with their noses in front, their concentration failed .

Just before half time the men in green had suffered one penalty too far for their patience and No 8 was sent to the sin bin for venting his anger on an Ilkley man.

With an eight point half-time lead and a man advantage for the first nine minutes of the second-half Ilkley should capitalised.

They stuck as rigidly to their game plan as the referee stuck to the application of the laws. The ball was generally well used by the pack. They took it in, drove, took it in again and drove.

This has been an effective ploy in many of Ilkley's winning games in recent seasons but it is beginning to frustrate the scoring chances of their backs. Recycling of the ball allows defences to reform and when the ball finally does appear the backs find the defensive lines in place.

With scoring talent out wide it looked a sensible option to get the ball there sooner rather than later. When the ball did get to the backs Nick Bell had a couple of good breaks but Ilkley could not get through the Beverley defensive lines. Beverley were restored to 15 without conceding a score and soon after were rewarded for a concerted battering of Ilkley lines with a try by lock Smith. He picked up from the back of third or fourth phase ruck and battered his way to the line through some lack lustre tackling to touchdown. The try was not improved, but at 8-5 it was now a nervous and tense time.

Two Ilkley penalty shots at goal were agonisingly just wide, but they were hanging on. Sean Gilbert made what must be one of the tackles of season to bring down the winger as he went over and then rip the ball away just before he touched it down.

Gilbert also made another great tackle to stop what looked a good scoring opportunity out right. Then Andy Pell received a yellow card reducing his side's numbers just when they needed all hands on deck. With only injury time to go it looked as though the black and reds of Ilkley would hang on for the vital two points. Beverley were throwing everything at them but, again aided at least in part, by the referee, they got most of the danger clear. A chip through attempt from fly-half Winter went behind Ilkley's line. Cadman took vital moments in touching down and went up to take the dropout.

A good deep kick it was too, but again that icy blast on the whistle pulled them back, this time for an Ilkley player in front of the kicker, an offence rarely refereed at all these days. However, offence it was - scrum down, ball out wide to burly wingman Cuozzo who shrugged off two Ilkley tacklers to score making it 10-11 and, for number 10 Winter, a conversion from half way out to touch, a point from where, moments earlier, he had missed a penalty.

His nerve held. This one was true as it sailed inside inside the posts. Ilkley's disappointment was audible. With only a couple of minutes to respond it was too much to ask. A drop goal attempt was wide and the only time Beverley wanted a whistle, it came to end the game.

The Ilkley team were well and truly gutted. A big, big effort, and nothing to show for it. Another hugely disappointing day out for the Ilkley faithful.

Now with seven games to go, five at home against clubs that can be beaten and two away, both of which are eminently winnable, Ilkley must now win at least the home games to stay up. They did it in 2001; they are capable of doing it again. One crumb of comfort was the return of Charlie Cudworth.

He had 35 minutes on the wing after young Moffatt's departure and came through unscathed. His presence in the back row this week will be welcome. The trip to West Leeds this Saturday will test their mettle.