MOORTOWN 3

Ilkley 34

ILKLEY opened 1999 with a convincing victory over their North Leeds rivals. The initial five minutes were very scrappy with Ilkley showing signs of rust following the two week Christmas lay-off.

On their first visit to Moortown's half they took the lead with a well-struck penalty from skipper Justin Hewitt.

Shortly after Ilkley suffered a blow when Matt Newberry left the field with a shoulder injury and he was replaced by Ray Dennis who did a fine job in the unfamiliar role of second row.

Ilkley's forwards started to gain control with B J Fowler and Nick Brook winning plenty of line-out ball.

Following a clean catch and drive by the forwards scrum-half Jimmy Carr made a break which was carried on by Paul Gray and was finished by winger George Obank.

Hewitt added the conversion.

Good defence limited Moortown's attacking play with Phil Merkin putting several telling tackles in.

Ilkley's second try followed more good line-out work from the forwards and Carr once again made the decisive break before linking with Hewitt who beat the remaining cover to score.

The same player added to the conversion and extended the lead with a penalty shortly after. Moortown reduced the deficit with a penaly by Simon Pogson but from the kick-off a great piece of work by flanker Dave Bussell set up an attacking line-out close to the Moortown line.

Once again Brook took a clean catch and was driven over by the whole pack for Gus Rogers to claim the touchdown with Hewitt again converting from a difficult angle to give Ilkley a 27-3 interval lead.

The second-half was a very scrappy affair with a combination of careless handling and poor decision making restricting Ilkley's attacking options. However, the defence remained solid and Moortown never looked like scoring.

The final Ilkley try was a beauty. Following a scrum in their own half a back row move created space for the ball to go through seven pairs of hands for Gray to take the final pass and score close to the posts. Hewitt maintained his perfect record with the conversion.

This was a satisfying win for Ilkley which should give them confidence for the important matches they face throughout January although fitness needs to improve if they are to reach their full potential as a side.

Ilkley A 44 Moortown A 22

For the second time this season Ilkley were forced to play uncontested scrums when Moortown's prop was stretchered off in the first minute.

Although this turned the game into a bit of a farce, Ilkley were by far the better side and found themselves with a 17 point lead after only 10 minutes. This followed good attacking moves from their experienced pack, wearing down their younger oppents, driving and recycling the ball at will. In fact, Ilkley had so much possession in the first half they began to get in each others way - everyone wanting a bit of the action.

The quality of possession and ease with which the Moortown defence parted inevitably led to complacency. The defence left a lot to be desired, especially when allowing Moortown to score two tries when they down to 13 men.

A good first game back in the New Year before the league games begin again next week.

The back row was outstanding once again and Alex Munroe made a welcome return after several years at Otley. Credit also to the third team players who turned out at short notice.

Ilkley U-8s 45 Blackburn 30

Ilkley Under-8s soon took the upper hand in this clash with a try from Ryan Cooper.

Tom Ross then bagged a hat trick of tries to put Ilkley in a strong position. Ilkley's defence was not at its best and Blackburn came back into the game with a couple of quick tries.

Ilkley extended their lead with some very good support play and further tries from Callum Gillon, Michael Murray, William Kyle and Ryan Cooper, who completed his hat trick.

Mention must also be made of Richard Rhodes and William Marlow whose consistent tackling thwarted many Blackburn attacks.

Ilkley U-8s 30 Blackburn 20

In an equally exciting game, Blackburn lifted their game.

Ilkley's tackling was much improved and teamwork was the basis for this win. Once again, support play and quick passing produced tries for Richard Rhodes, Tom Ross, William Kyle and another hat trick for Ryan Cooper.

William Marlow's excellent tackling secured him the man of the match award.

Ilkley U-9s 35 Blackburn 5

An excellent win for Ilkley to start the New Year.

Christopher Moon was held short of the Blackburn line in the opening minute but Calum Connor retrieved the ball to score a well worked try.

Sam Tipping had some good runs at Blackburn's defence and was rewarded with two good tries.

John-Henry Johnson tackled well throughout and provided Oliver Watson with the opportunity to score a try - running the length of the pitch in the process. This try resulted in the man of the match award. John-Henry Johnson completed a hat trick of tries in this comprehensive victory.

Ilkley U-11s 28 Blackburn 7

The Ilkley boys played well to beat a strong Blackburn side in this encounter.

The home pack struggled early on to control the scrums and failed to provide the backs with enough quality ball.

Ilkley began to get on top as the game progressed and they began to drive Blackburn backwards.

The Ilkley try scorers were Giuseppe Cammarata, Ifan Morgan, Joel Monkman and Simon Panteli. Andrew Rhodes converted all of the tries.

Cleckheaton 5 Ilkley U-13s 10

If playing badly but winning is the sign of a good side, Ilkley Under-13s should win the Yorkshire Cup this year.

They lacked commitment and seemed prepared to let Cleckheaton come to them.

Both sides had opportunities but could not find a winning touch until Edward Parker put the ball over the line either side of half time.

Edward also popped up to make a try-saving tackle when Cleckheaton looked to be through.

In the second half things seemed to be coming together but a lack of concentration allowed Cleckheaton back into the game. However, Ilkley were able to get the ball away from danger.

Edward Parker was the man of the match.

West Leeds 12 Ilkley U-17s 15

Ilkley Under-17s started the New Year in fine style with a narrow but well deserved victory at West Leeds.

Missing two key players and playing theit first game for a month, Ilkley could have been forgiven for a lacklustre performance, yet the whole team played well.

The first half was evenly balanced for 20 minutes until Richard Benson scored an opportunist try which Nick Thackeray converted.

West Leeds pulled a try back but Nick Thackeray responded almost immediately with a drop goal.

The second half was barely underway when Andrew Kirkcaldy charged down an attempted clearance to extend Ilkley's lead to 10 points.

West Leeds replied with a converted try but Ilkley held on, defending well and taking advantage of some excellent kicking to touch by Richard Benson.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.