York travelled to Ilkley RUFC for their last game of the Regional 1 North East Season. York were missing a fair few from the pack, including Captain Ross White which meant Archie Fothergill stepped up to take the on the role. The York back line was largely unchanged apart from Alex Riley, who stepped in at Scrum Half for his first start in the jersey; Toby Atkin was unavailable after not missing a game all season. Atkin was heard saying at Thursday's training session; "Let's see how we get on without the Regional 1 North East Scrum Half of the year, Electric Atkin, in the 9 jersey...".
As we hit 3pm, the weather was excellent for Rugby and Ilkley kicked off to York who were playing from left to right if you were watching from the very impressive Ilkley club house. York exited very well, an up and under kick from Declan was gathered well by Will Fordy, before the ball was recycled and Dec kicked brilliantly again for a 50-22. York's start couldn't have gone much better. York build pressure from the lineout and Ilkley are penalised for not rolling away at the ruck. York elect to take the 3 points, but Shackleton doesn't have the accurate start of last week and misses left of the posts. 

From the resulting 22m drop out, York are caught napping and Ilkley kick short and regather the ball to form an attack in which their left wing makes great yards downfield. Ilkley spread the ball wide to the right, which they did well all afternoon, and if the winger catches the final pass he would have been in for the opening score of the game. York are a touch lucky not to be down by 5 points and Ilkley's first attack looked very sharp.
York win their lineout ball well, but are then pulled up for accidental offside at the driving maul. From the scrum, Ilkley move the ball accurately through the hands creating a 2 on 1 out wide and this time the last pass is taken well and they are in to score in the left corner. The conversion from out wide was an outstanding one and Ilkley lead 7-0.
After the restart York win the ball back through Shackleton who shows good strength to strip an Ilkley ball carrier of possession. In the process an Ilkley player is injured and ref stops play; York scrum on the Ilkley 10 metre line. York start to move the ball well themselves now and build several phases, progressing into the Ilkley 22. Shackleton tries a clever grubber into the corner, which has just a bit too much power behind it and the ball goes into touch just before Tom Woffendin was able to gather. From the lineout, York are unable to capitalise on the pressure they have built and Ilkley move the ball wide, making yards with every attack. More slick interplay in the wide channels creates space and they are in again to score. The conversion is missed and Ilkley now lead 12-0.
York need to lift their game and show some urgency to back into the fixture and they do just that. Shackleton breaks the line after a great show and go and it dragged down just outside the Ilkley 22 metre line. Declan receives the ball from Riley and there isn’t much on so chooses for the cross-field kick. If the ball bounces up then Tom Woffendin would collect and be in for a score, however, the ball skips low and forward on the first bounce and into touch. York are growing into the game and are beginning to look sharper in attack.
York look to add to their momentum and make an early substitution, all action Lewi Jackson enters the field and within seconds the crowd get to see what he has to offer. From his first carry he manages to show both the elegance of a ballerina and subtleness of an intoxicated hippo as he crashes through the Ilkley defence, only to be brought down by a last ditch tap tackle. From the resulting ruck York win a penalty which Declan kicks well into the corner. York try to build an attack from the lineout, Ilkley defend a touch too desperately and give away a penalty on their own line, the guilty party is shown the yellow card and York have a one man advantage for 10 minutes. From the penalty, York elect to take the scrum which since the introduction of Jackson they are dominating. Great work from the front row of Westaby, Scholey and Jackson allows Willem Enslin to control well at the back and dot down for York's first score of the day. Shackleton converts well and York are back in it. 12-7
The final score of the first half will be a memorable one for the Ilkley support. The ball is moved well from left to right and a wonderfully judged chip kick is regathered, before racing in to score in the corner. The conversion is missed and Ilkley lead 19-7 at half time.
Ilkley start the second half on top and again are making good yardage every time they spread the ball wide. York are scrambling across in defence and in doing so, give away a penalty for a high tackle. Ilkley elect to kick to the corner but are unable to secure their own lineout ball after some good pressure from York. York secure the ball well and Jackson is released again with a nicely timed pass. He gallops up field making around 40 metres, earning a second helping of mash potato from the post-match catering team. York look to move the ball quickly and Ilkley haven't managed to get back into an onside position. The referee sees the infringement and York are awarded a penalty. Cusack kicks well and York have a lineout in the Ilkley 22. York have a series of attacks, but the Ilkley defence reamins strong, forcing York go through several phases until the ball gets caught up in a ruck and York are awarded a scrum. From the scrum, York's backs create space for Davies with some lovely running lines, Davies then releases Jonty Atkinson who puts in a strong fend on the cover tackler to break free and score in the corner. The conversion is missed. 19-12
Ilkley respond again and go on the attack and look like they are the team most likely to score. Both Eddie Westaby and Lewi Jackson jackal at the ruck brilliantly and win turnovers for York, which baked bean Dean Atkin absolutely loves up in the terraces! However, the 2 turnovers only relieve the pressure for a short while before Ilkley win a penalty in the York half. They elect to take the 3 points which are taken well with a well struck kick. 22-12
In what has been a back and forth game, York continue to play their role and go back on the attack. After some prolonged pressure, the ball is spread wide to substitute and debutant Charlie Rae, who holds the defence well and releases none other than Eddie Westaby who is stood out wide gasping for air, trying to catch a breather. Westaby shows good strength as a cover tackler manages to get to him, but not stop him, as he powers over to get York right back into the tie. Shackleton converts well from out wide and it's now a 3 point game. 22-19
York will be very frustrated with the last few minutes of the game as they give away a couple of penalties, which allows Ilkley to kick deep into the York half. Ilkley drive the ball well from the lineout, dragging in the York defence. Ilkley move the ball quickly to the blind side and are able to get over for the try that secures the win. Another great conversion and the final score is 29-19.
York will be frustrated with parts of the performance today as they were not able to perform well across the whole 80 minutes. However, there are many positives to take from the game as both York's first team debutants, Rae and Sims, gave very good accounts of themselves. Congratulations to Ilkley on a deserved win, they were never behind on the scoreboard and always managed to find a way to keep in front.

I would like to finish by saying a big thank you to both Willem Enslin and Declan Cusack who both played their final game for York RUFC yesterday. Two men who have had outstanding Rugby careers and have both added great value to the club for the years they have spent here. Declan will remain as a coach at the club and I am not entirely sure what the future holds for Willem on a Rugby front, but he will always be welcome down the club and I am sure we will still see a lot of him. Cheers Gentlemen and congratulations.



Match Report by Joseph Maud