Skipton send holders Ilkley slithering out of Yorkshire Shield (From Craven Herald)

Skipton send holders Ilkley slithering out of Yorkshire Shield

11:13am Thursday 1st December 2011 in Skipton

Skipton 11, Ilkley 5

Skipton showed that their convincing first-round victory over Keighley was no fluke as they sent holders Ilkley crashing out of the Yorkshire Shield at saturated Sandylands on Saturday.

Both sides looked keen to play expansive rugby in the early stages, but the monsoon-like weather soon rendered it impossible for the players to successfully execute this strategy.

Skipton were first to register on the scoreboard as fly half Andrew Nicholson converted a long-range penalty following an Ilkley infringement at the breakdown.

Ilkley slowly began to stamp their authority on the game, as their live-wire half backs Kirk Arundale and Phil Howell began to manipulate multiple waves of strong direct running.

Their off-loading also tested the Skipton defence which was ferocious.

This game plan resulted in Ilkley commanding both the territory and possession for the majority of the first half.

It was an indication of the tenacity of Skipton’s defence that the visitors could only manage one try.

Brandon Hannam and Kris Stafford took Ilkley up to the line, and it was Australian import Isaac Scholes who scored his first Ilkley try, But Skipton went back in front after 30 minutes when Nicholson landed his second penalty when Ilkley flanker Neil Spence was yellow carded.

Soon after, second row Kris Stafford joined Spence on the sideline, and the two man advantage gave Skipton a sense of real momentum.

At the close of the first half the home side were unlucky not to be awarded a try, as aggressive defence out wide produced a handling error, and the ball was hacked deep into the Ilkley half by Hamish Munro.

Wingman David Wilkinson won the foot race but was deemed to have knocked on immediately prior to touching down under the posts.

With the weather deteriorating, Skipton started the second half the stronger.

The aggressive ball-carrying prowess of Patrick Murray, Martin Murray and Tom Keady and the constant probing of scrum half Kevin Bottomley, created the field position from which Skipton registered their only try.

Following a tightly controlled and rapidly moving line-out drive from the Ilkley 22, Martin Murray broke away and scored in the corner.

Skipton should have registered a further score as a superb line break by the impressive Nicholson fizzled out just short of the line due to inadequate support.

After 60 minutes the game changed dramatically, as Ilkley again began to resume overall command of proceedings, which resulted in Skipton’s defence being severely tested.

The ferocious tackling of flanker Shaun Barraclough typified the Skipton defensive effort.

The work rate of the tight five, and the destructive tackling of Martin Murray and Tom Keady ensured that the holders were unable to break through.

Ilkley threw everything at the Skipton line but they just couldn’t find a chink in the resolute Red defensive line.

Even after the near simultaneous sin binning of Keady and sending off of Patrick Murray with five minutes remaining, Ilkley were unable to break through. Credit must be bestowed to the Skipton backs who were isolated from play for large parts of the game, but when required they stepped up to the mark.

Ultimately the victory was a reward for the Skipton forwards who were competitive, aggressive and totally committed in all facets of the game, which effectively sealed the result.

The win was a fitting send-off for loyal-servant Nicholson who departed for his native Australia on Monday.

Skipton’s young hooker Jordan Emmison also caught the eye with his accurate throwing at the line-out and his general work rate at the contact area.

Should this level of passionate performance be replicated on the league stage, Skipton will surely start climbing the Yorkshire Division Two table.