Aireborough, promoted to Yorkshire Division Four by the play-offs last season, have more than kept that momentum going in this campaign.

Their combination of experienced forwards and pacy young backs, both units wanting to keep the ball in hand, proved a winning combination in this top-of-the-table clash.

And Aire's assistant player-coach Tony Smith revealed the depths of planning and training that have helped to keep them at the head of affairs.

The former Keighley Cougars utility back said: "Simon Carbutt (player-coach) came up to me during the close season and said 'Do you want to help out with the backs?'.

"I said yes and now our organisation and game-plans would not disgrace a semi-professional outfit, and it's really given us something to work from."

Smith, who has also played union for England Schools and Newcastle, having been a junior at Otley, added: "We are laying some very good bricks in our foundation.

"There is a great team spirit and the players are very easy to coach. They are working really hard and the lines we are running would test York-shire Division One defences.

"Ilkley have had a look at our half-backs (brothers Nick and Tom Holdsworth), but we want to keep this side together, and even if we did lose two or three players we would be able to cope because we are running four teams within the club.

"And although we need to recruit some younger forwards in the near future, we know we can cope there on a physical level.

"We want to win the division, but we know we are still at the start of the learning curve."

Otliensians were hampered to a degree by injuries, unavailability and suspension, but their stand-in skipper, scrum half Matthew Birch, said of the derby clash: "We were not clinical enough in attack and they lived off our mistakes.

"We had a lot of ball in the second half but couldn't do anything with it.

"We went off the rails after Christmas last season and could not get it back together so hopefully that won't happen this time."

Otliensians' training area on the main road side of the first-team pitch was frozen and rutted but the playing surface had enough grass on it to make it playable, although the cold snap meant ink did not flow freely to this reporters' notebook.

The difference in styles between the sides was soon evident, Otliensians preferring to kick for position while the visitors wanted to keep the ball in hand.

Aire's left winger James Druce was the first to show his paces in the seventh minute, running diagonally to the right flank but his pass on the half-way line did not match what had gone before it.

The visitors then had to survive three minutes of pressure in their right-hand corner but survive it they did and they went ahead in the 19th minute, Nick Holdsworth landing a penalty from an angle just outside the 22 after the hosts had tackled a player without the ball.

He missed another effort in the 27th minute but was successful two minutes later after Otliensians did not roll away in the tackle.

A multiple effort was needed to stop Druce in the 33rd minute, but Aireborough got their first try a minute later.

They disrupted an Otliensians scrum and the Holdsworths combined before centre Craig Stanley bounced away a would-be tackler and drew the cover before putting right winger Matt Osborn in at the corner with a long pass.

Nick Holdsworth hooked the conversion attempt but the hosts gave themselves renewed hope in the third minute of injury time when full back Matt Tenniswood scored a try.

They couldn't follow that up in the second half, however, Aireborough starting the stronger with centre Nathan Smith running well before a communications breakdown.

However, James Druce was then put away by Tom Holdsworth in the 46th minute and he outstripped the cover to score after sprinting from the home ten-metre line.

Nick Holdsworth's conversion made it 18-5 but back came Otliensians, second row Dave Roberts crossing two minutes later.

Aireborough soon restored daylight between the rivals as the sun went down behind the Chevin, Stanley going over in the 51st minute.

Second-rower Craig McLaugh-lin's driving run was not to be denied six minutes later as Aire stretched their lead to 30-10.

Nick Holdsworth missed a penalty in the 64th minute but the positive running of Otliensians centre Nick Barlow was rewarded with a try 14 minutes later, and he also landed a confident conversion.

But Nick Holdsworth finished the scoring with a penalty in the fourth minute of injury time, the contest having become increasingly tetchy.