The tries flow for Ilkley at rainswept York

The fields surrounding the local rivers resembled lakes as the recent heavy rainfall in the area brought widespread flooding.

With the torrential rain of the previous few days in mind, it came as somewhat of a shock to find the pitch at Clifton remarkably dry, and conditions conducive for expansive rugby. How the men from York must have regretted those conditions at the final whistle.

With the Minstermen enjoying a very successful season with a strong, winning sequence going back some months it looked as though the Dalesmen could be in for a stern test.

It speaks measures for the ability, spirit and class throughout the visiting side that the York side were dispatched with such clinical efficiency, to make you wonder if any side, at this level, within the county, can mount a serious challenge to the awesomely impressive unit.

In the remaining months of the season, Ilkley A may lose some games. They will not lose because they are the inferior side but only because they find winning is becoming too easy. Complacency is something that could be the side's ultimate enemy.

The half-time score of 20-0 was nothing but a true reflection of the first period. The home side, remember on a long winning run, never got into the Ilkley half. Tries were scored by veteran No 8 Alan Moffat, Andy Rhodes and Andy Matthews. With Rhodes adding a penalty and conversion the game was already in the bag.

The hard yards gained by the forwards in first-half paid fruition in the second as the visitors ran riot to add a further unanswered 45 points.

Hemmingway, Phil Moffat, Kemble, Conway, Draper and a further brace from the very impressive Matthews, which earned him a deserved hat-trick, added the tries, and with Rhodes tagging on the extras to four of them, it left the final score 65-0 in favour of the men from Stacks Field.

In the backs wingers Weatherby and Merkin were solid in both defence and attack whilst newcomer Adam Weaving at fly-half cajoled and prompted the back line with fine aplomb until having to leave the field with a shoulder injury late on.

The forwards were simply awesome throughout. Davie had a strong game throughout, Whiteley took the battle to the opposition throughout and the back row pairing of Hibbs and Palmer-Hoyes were simply breathtaking.

The two flankers seemed to be on telepathic communication. When one made a break the other was always on hand for the short pop ball offload and it seems something of a travesty that neither managed to find their way onto the scoresheet.

The choice for Man-of-the-Match award between the two was too close to call so a split verdict, on this occasion, must be registered.

Ilkley B 24 York B 12

The arrival of York Thirds veiled Ilkley with apprehension. York with a strong team and Ilkley unable to capture form in past games saw York go into the match confident.

Ilkley elected to play into the wind and were given the kick, however the ball did not make ten and Ilkley were on their heals straight away. This played in Ilkley's favour as the Ilkley forwards let the opposition know they would push them around all day.

Play edged into York's half with a barrage of hits from Keighley, Mason and Hems. The ball was whipped to Cowgill who ran a dummy scissors and popped out to Ince who with no less than four men hanging off him touched down. Cowgill added the conversion.

York came back infuriating Ilkley because of how easy they had been let back into the game. York taunting Ilkley saying their defence wasn't up to the job provided the wake up call.

Again Ilkley's forwards marched up the field and with a penalty Ilkley were given the line. J Lee who dominated the line and who would steel most of Yorks ball collected and set up a rolling maul that Sean Fitzpatrick would have been proud of. Left to right York could not stop or even slow the Ilkley pack and celebrating his birthday F Mchugh scored Ilkley's second try.

Half-time saw the scores level and all to play for but it was to be Ilkley's day and they didn't let York back into the game. M Crowther injected pace into the Ilkley side with a great runaway try, pace the Ilkley old boys hadn't seen for some time.

This show of pace however must have rubbed off on hooker M Dowling who found himself on the wing with a 20 yard dash which he completed touching down for Ilkley's final try. A good day for the club all round.

Old Modernians 6 Otliensians 22

Otliensians continued their excellent start to 2007, winning their fourth consecutive away fixture in the ever present inclement weather conditions, and with the next two weeks away from league rugby, the Yorkshire Division Four table will begin to take shape, as the pursuing teams play their games in hand.

Otliensians had first use of the elements, and after a high hanging kick-off, Duggan the Otliensians No 8 pressured the defence effecting a charge down and winning the race to the touchdown.

It was 5-0 with less than 30 seconds elapsed. Otliensians continued to press and Foster converted a penalty after four minutes.

Modernians came back into the game and after a series of forward drives were rewarded with a penalty in the tenth minute. The half was puntuated by many penalties, as the players found the ground underfoot difficult to master but Otliensians played the elements with great assurance and Foster converted two further penalties for a deserved 16-3 half-time lead.

What transpired in the second-half was a near perfect example of how to play uphill and in to a howling gale, as the whole Otliensians team contributed to a driving tight game. This was punctuated by excellently executed close quarter handling that not only deprived Modernians of any momentum but forced them to defend for long periods.

Modernians were not helped by a heavy penalty count against them just as Otliensians had suffered in the first-half but such was the pressure created by the Otliensians team, Modernians only had one serious assault on their line in the whole 40 minutes, and that was repelled with strong, organised defence.

The outcome of the game was never in doubt as Foster first exchanged penalties with his opposite number, then rounded off the scoring in the 56th minute for a personal tally of 17 points.

Otliensians as a team again showed tremendous commitment and no mean skill in the dreadful conditions and with every member of the side contributing this was an extremely satisfying result against a well-organised Modernians outfit.

OtliensiansA 22 Modernians 15

In this Merit Table game Otliensians were looking to avenge the 32-5 defeat at Modernians back in October but all the early play was from the visitors who went ahead with a penalty.

Otliensians began to raise their game and won a series of balls against the head. Some decisions by the referee had both sides a little confused but the home side were forced on the defensive.

Good tackling kept the visitors at bay. Otliensians began to find the form of recent weeks winning some good ball in the line-out via Andy Bower and Joe Robinson and with Mark Copping working hard in the loose phases well supported by the rest of the pack, the backs had plenty of ball to run with.

Unfortunately this often was not transferred rapidly enough from the midfield. However, Jason Babb was showing some good skills and a typical second team handling move involving both backs and forwards after a good break by stand-off Phil Purnell saw Babb score for Ben Newall to convert.

Immediately after, a good attack almost produced another try. The half ended with Otliensian deep in Modernians territory.

Playing into the wind, a poor clearance kick from Otliensians led to a scrambled try just inside the dead ball line from the visitors.

Otliensians won a ball on their ten metre line and Tom Twist acting as scrum-half found good support to move the ball to right winger Richard Cuff who finished in typical fashion from 30 metres out.

Modernians stand-off, who was distributing the ball well, ran a miss move and the full-back came into the line at pace to fly through the Otliensians' defence to score a try which was converted.

An excellent move saw Brett Tenniswood score to give Otliensians a 17-15 lead.

A good series of forward drives from the visitors took them downfield to the Otliensians' line but the danger was eventually cleared by a good scrum ball which gave Purnell space to push the visitors back outside the 22 metre zone.

A well won ball and some excellent support play saw Otliensians move almost the length of the field but the final pass just did not go to hand. Otliensians continued to attack but began to give away a series of penalties. However, a poor clearance kick from the visitors' centre was seized by Tenniswood and good hands and a final forceful run saw Cuff score in the corner to seal the game for the Otliensians.

Anthony Till had a very active game at hooker and was named Man-of-the-Match with Mark Copping coming a close runner-up.

Old Otliensians B 22 Old Modernians B 36

A waterlogged pitch at Mods caused this game to be switched at the last minute to Chaffers Field.

A big disappointment for the home side was the announcement by the referee that there would be uncontested scrums from the outset as Modernians could not field a front row - Otliensians scrummaging having been a strong feature over recent weeks.

The match started at a cracking pace with Modernians' big fast backs testing the Otliensians' defence. Flankers Richard Crossley and Ray Drake alongside centres Andy Hayward and Brad Young tackled strongly but after ten minutes the pressure told and a good score and conversion left the home side seven points behind.

The Otliensians pack began to assert itself in the loose and there were strong runs from lock Andy Wood and prop Dave Beardsley. However, spilled ball gave possession away and the visiting backs created another try under the posts.

Alan Garnett was producing quality ball from the line-out and, along with clean ball from scrums, half-backs Andy Causer and Will Haines were able to get their back line moving. Several promising moves took play well into the visitors 22 and when Mods infringed, Will Haines kicked the penalty.

There was an immediate response from Mods and an elusive run set up a try and conversion. This was followed a few minutes by another good back move and a score wide out left Otliensians struggling at 24-3 down.

With half-time approaching, the home side began to produce some quality rugby. From a series of rucks on the Mods' line Richard Crossley dived over and the conversion by Will Haines put Otliensians very much back in the game at 24-10.

Shortly afterwards, home full- back Sean Flesher had to leave the field when he courageously dropped on a loose ball and received an injury to his ribs. Rob Grey came on at centre and Hayward moved to full- back.

Things got worse when prop Adam Windass, making his debut, also had to go off with a head injury and he was temporarily replaced by John Offer.

After the break, both sides continued to spread the ball wide and strong runs by Hayward and Rob Grey put pressure on the visitors. A series of powerful forward drives from Andy Wood, Richard Wardak and Steve Robinson nearly produced a score but it was Dave Beardsley who finally forced his way over. Haines' conversion put Otliensians 24-17 behind.

Play moved from end-to-end as both sides tried to breach strong defences but it was another 15 minutes before scrappy play and an unsighted knock-on led to a Modernians' try in the corner.

From the kick-off, Otliensians responded immediately with Haines and Hayward sending Grey off on a 40 yard swerving run to score wide out. The conversion failed to put Otliensians behind at 29-22.

For the last ten minutes the home side drove at the opposition with Crossley, Windass and Wood to the fore. A flowing back move saw Steve Lofthouse go close but the loose ball was snapped up by the speedy Mods winger who ran the length of the field to score. The conversion left the final score at 36-22 in Mods' favour.

This was a game where both sides should be complimented on playing some excellent open rugby. Skipper Will Haines gave a strong lead and he can be well pleased with a fine team performance with the final score somewhat flattering

Pocklington 22 West Park Leeds 5

Park produced massive amounts of grunt and effort but lacked the finesse to see off an inexperienced but enthusiastic Pocklington outfit.

Aided by a strong following wind Park dominated almost the entire first-half. Dan Thompson ruled the line-out, especially after the hosts lost their main jumper on ten minutes.

Matt Stevens constantly nudged his men into promising field positions, only for handling errors to prevent the development of further phases. Strong tackling round the fringes by both sides made every metre gained into a small victory but scoring opportunities were few and far between.

Fly-half Stevens had knocked a penalty wide as early as the third minute but it took until five minutes from the break before the deadlock was broken. Good ball from the top of a line-out was moved rapidly through the three-quarters. Nick Nightingale entered the line to make the extra man before floating out an inviting pass that was gratefully accepted by winger Dan Barker for the opening try.

The classy full-back suffered what appeared to be a nasty knee injury in the build up to the try, taking no further part in the game.

The hosts responded with their only visit to the away 22 of the half. When the ball was moved right from a scrum hooker David Birch somehow managed to get up in support and burrow over. The missed conversion ensured that the sides turned round level.

Park continued the onslaught for the first ten minutes of the second-half, on one occasion driving back the home pack a full 20 metres before losing the ball after failing to heed the referee's use it' command.

Immediately, the hosts broke out through a speculative, wind-driven kick. When the ball was moved left that man Birch popped up again to go in for his second try.

A Henry Mitchell penalty from near halfway extended the lead but although the visitors continued to use up copious amounts of energy they could not find a way through a committed home defence.

The likes of Jason Whitehead and Jack Bickerdike never stopped chasing the lost cause, both producing great individual breaks that petered out due to lack of support.

The hosts made certain of the points deep into injury time, when one of the Park wingers was caught in front of his own posts.

From the resulting scrum half-back Phil Priestley went in for the final try, Mitchell's conversion simply rubbing salt into the wound.

Yarnbury Vets 10 Baildon Vets 3

Yarnbury fielded a fourth team for the 12th weekend this season, a great achievement for Yorkshire rugby, but minds were on winning a game in this return fixture after Baildon narrowly won the last time these teams met.

Yarnbury started the game playing up hill and did well to hold a Baildon team who worked well around the scrummage and ruck ball, their back row working well together linking with their backline. Yarnbury managed to hold Baildon for much of the game turning around 3-0 down at half-time.

Again Baildon started well but the Yarnbury forwards restricted the movements of their more than able back row. After some inspired substitutions and with Yarnbury's veteran captain Adam Stephenson coming on the game changed. Stephenson took the game to Baildon which resulted in a mistake from Baildon, a penalty under the post a fair reward, and Steve Shepherd made it 3-3.

Stephenson then set up quick ball to feed Shepherd who gave a lovely timed pass out to Steve Hope to score the only try of the game. Shepherd converted. It was a fine display from Shepherd in his first game for four years.

Skipton 39 Aireborough 15

Aireborough began this game in a hectic, high tempo fashion and were rightly on the scoreboard within minutes. Graham Turner came in at loose head prop and Stewart Brewer was back at No 8.

Sadly, Skipton's rather saturated and almost second rate pitch put Aireborough's back line orientated game plan to ruin, however they continued to dominate in the opening minutes with Aireborough winger James Stocker adding a penalty conversion to get the ball rolling.

Even after 25 minutes Aireborough appeared very much in control. The away side were eventually rewarded for all their hard work after full-back James Druce tore through the midfield defence to notch up the first try of the day.

Within the forwards Aireborough triumphed during the first-half as the new scrum law actually benefited the pack.

Nevertheless, after the influx of hard work and commitment from Aireborough the home side scored a soft try after what seemed to be a number of unnoticed knock-ons throughout picking up and driving.

Aireborough continued though to push forward, again flanker Stuart Davidson put in a solid performance in the loose whilst stand-off Nick Holdsworth's only mistake came when Skipton intercepted just before the end of the half before going on to score.

It was perhaps to be expected that the game would suffer from that early pace and so it was in the beginning of the second-half as both teams were guilty of poor handling that saw chances go begging.

Aireborough produced one final piece of excellence. Nick Holdsworth chipped through before centre Smith cleverly scooped up and released Matthew Osborn to go on and touch down, Stocker then added the conversion.

Skipton moved on after this to score a number of tries, although it could be argued that the home side lived off Aireborough's mistakes. One try came after an unseen obstruction and the next after Aireborough believed they still had the advantage from the referee.

In the end, Aireborough lost to a side that have been around for more years than they care to think of, much of these way above the standard of Yorkshire 3.

Skipton B 21Aireborough B17

AIREBOROUGH Thirds' bad run continued this week, with a narrow defeat at a windswept Skipton. However, there is room for optimism with the return to the side of Richard Sweetman, who showed just what the team had been missing over the last few weeks.

Both teams rose above the atrocious conditions to play some hard but attractive rugby. Skipton were the first to score with a converted try. Aireborough hit back with sustained pressure which culminated in a penalty for off-side, converted by the scrum- half.

Sweetman made sure that Aireborough won their fair share of line-out ball and also made some barnstorming runs from open-side flanker not to mention his innumerable try saving tackles.

Indeed it was Sweetman who set up the winger to charge for the line, only for him to be brought down a yard short. However, the scrum-half was there to retrieve the ball and dive over for a try, which he then converted making it 10-7 to Aireborough at half-time.

The break was the turning point in the match when the Aireborough captain made a grave tactical error by substituting Sweetman. Skipton soon gained the upper hand, scoring two quick tries, to lead 21-10. Aireborough did bounce back with a sweeping move finished off by the full-back, again converted by the scrum-half, but despite plenty of possession and opportunities Aireborough could not get the one score they needed to win the game.

With his experience and skills, Sweetman would have made all the difference in the second period but hopefully Aireborough will make best use of their resources in future.

The Third team visit Halifax on Saturday.

Moortown 16 Yarnbury 7

YARNBURY, having the previous week played their best rugby for many years, must have been stunned to find themselves struggling from the outset against a very lively Moortown.

There was a stiff cross wind making touch kicks hard to judge. After 20 minutes a Moortown prop made a powerful run only to be brought crashing down by a superb Jimmy Lee tackle. At the ensuing ruck Moortown won a penalty but the wind favoured Yarnbury.

Yarnbury conceded a penalty and Lewis judged the wind correctly to open the scoring for Moortown.

A long clearance by Riley brought Yarnbury up to Moortown's 25 and a good Yarnbury drive was followed by a penalty which Riley accurately put into touch. There followed four penalties against Moortown in the corner. Yarnbury were dumbfounded that none became a penalty try.

Ian Moule was sent to the sin-bin and with numerical advantage Moortown scored an unconverted try.

Early in the second-half Yarnbury went close and sustained pressure finally brought them a try from Tim Mennell which Riley converted.

Lewis dropped a goal to edge Moortown ahead again and the final score came from a cross-field move which left Yarnbury well outnumbered and the try and conversion made it 16-7. In the last Moortown tackle Mennell badly injured his shoulder.