Cleckheaton enjoyed a happy start to the New Year with a win away at Ilkley and netted four very welcome league points. Any Christmas excess wasn’t noticeable as both teams worked hard in defence to stop the other from scoring and Cleckheaton upped the work rate after half time and dominated possession for most of the second half. The visitors welcomed back Matt Piper after being unavailable for over 6 weeks with a broken wrist and Ollie Depledge also returned for his first game since sustaining a knee injury in mid November.

Ilkley got on the score sheet first when Paul Turner, aggrieved from a push in the back, flew off side at the next maul and on hearing the referees penalising whistle, booted the ball back towards 2016. Cleckheaton were marched 10 metres and Joe Rowntree claimed 3 points for Ilkley with a now much easier penalty goal.

Cleckheaton responded with vigour, with Jack Bickerdike marshalling his troops well and Matt and Richard Piper rumbling the ball forward at every opportunity. James Wilson was vociferously organising from fullback and Man of the Match, Danny Vento was everywhere as Cleckheaton made steady headway upfield. A penalty for the visitors gave them a line out close to Ilkley’s whitewash. This aspect of Cleckheaton’s play was on top form throughout the game with Mark Chivers hitting his target every time and locks Ryan Piercy and Luke Pearson safe as houses pulling the ball from mid-air. Richard Piper went close following the lineout and Niall Jackson also almost made it over but ilkley’s defence held firm. Bickerdike spread the ball to Cleck stand-off Neil Chivers who sent it on its way down the back line, where slick handling put Ronan Evans in at the corner. The same player teased the crowd by bouncing the ball off the post and the cross bar before it dropped over the sticks to give Cleck a 7-3 lead.

Jack Seddon entered the fray for Brad Marsden and Ben Thrower came on for Jackson as Cleckheaton began to rotate their bench, which they chose to do to the full in this fixture, making good use of their interchange allowance. Joey Carley would also take the field soon afterwards but not long after Seddon came on he had to rest again when he was sin-binned for inadvertently tackling a player who had not quite taken possession of the ball in a dangerous position close to Cleckheaton’s line. Rowntree added his second penalty and the game hung in the balance at 7-6 to Cleck as the half was brought to a close.

In the second period Cleckheaton dominated possession, using their superior power to retain the ball for long periods. Some measured grubber kicks towards the corner from Matt Piper, for Evans and Josh Hall to chase, meant that Ilkley got possession back but with very little option put to put the ball out of play. This period of the game took place largely in Ilkley’s half of the pitch but with an explosive fullback and dynamic back line, the home side could potentially attack from anywhere. One such breakout could have brought Ilkley the lead but for a last ditch tackle from Wilson. With less than 10 minutes remaining Ollie Depledge refused to be denied and forced his way onto the whitewash for Cleckheaton’s second try. The conversion was missed and with only six points in it, the result was far from certain. A high bomb in the last few seconds of the game from Cleckheaton was taken on the run by Ilkley, who kept the ball alive and took play to within a few metres of Cleck’s line. The defence of the visitors had been solid all afternoon and remained so until eventually Ilkley knocked on and the final whistle sounded to end the game.

This was a well deserved and hard fought win for Cleckheaton and a great start to 2017. This weekend the team face second in the table, Rossendale, at Moorend.