Yarnbury 13
Ilkley 27

Yarnbury with a full team of injured personnel throughout the club could have done with an easier friendly than this cup game on a non-league weekend but such a thing is not possible in the run-in to the end of the season.

With Captain Ben Horner's season finished at Pocklington with a broken shoulder and Stand Off/Full, back Simon Tabb at corporate business at Twickenham the backs still looked a solid line with Stephen Riley back at number 10 to Captain the side.

Simon Threlfall on one wing,Wayne Raynor the other and Ellis Gomersall filling in at Full back.

Andy Butterfield's long run at prop has now finished his season prematurely with another shoulder injury and Dave Gornell not available Dave Hunter came in for only his third game in the second row.

The pitch was a bog after all the recent rain and the heavens opened with the start of the match to make the conditions a lottery and the ball a bar of soap.

Yarnbury had the pressure in the early exchanges and pushed onto the Ilkley ine but some good defending by the away side and tackling was strong from their back row of Hibbs,Mackenzie and Brewer.The first score came remarkably from turnover ball to Yarnbury just in their half but this was spoilt by a misdirected pass out from the rook ball spilled and collected by Anthony Cadman ,Likely Stand Off and moved well to Brendan Kelley to wrong foot Wayne Raynor in the muddy conditions and score in the corner for the first try.

This seemed to spurr Ilkley and they started throwing ball around and holding on to it in the atrocious conditions and scored further tries before half time from Botha one of their two antipodeans from Second Row after good mauling from the Ilkley pack and also from a penalty try after the referee,who had an excellent afternoon throughout,deemed Yarnbury winger Simon Threlfall pulled back the Ilkley Centre Tim Sibanda when the try line beckoned.Both tries converted by Lee Frost.

Yarnbury replied by Stephen Riley with two penalties after good consistent pressure from the Yarnbury Pack with Andy Van Heel and No 8 Wayne Butterfield leading by example in the rucks and mauls giving Ilkley plenty to consider for the second half.

The conditions deteriorated further after the break and the game became bogged down in midfield with a succession of dropped passes and knock ons but both sides continued to try and play rugby in a good spirit and with commendable enthusiasm.Without the soaking rain the spectators would have enjoyed this spectacle on a better day.

Ilkley scored one try from winger Kelley in the second half and the best try of the game came at the end of play when Stephen Riley then Danny Thompson and finally Ian Moule backing up crashed over under the posts converted by Stephen Riley to make the score respectable against opponents from the top of Yorkshire One.

Yarnbury's push for another Shield Final will have to wait another year.