Ilkley's vital league fixture with bottom of the table Pocklington was called off on Friday evening when a hard frozen pitch made staging the match apparently impossible. The forecast was for continuing cold and snow.

As it happened, despite the pitch still being frozen at 11 am it was perfect for rugby at 2 pm but due notice has to given to the visitors, Pocklington, from the snow covered East Yorkshire, the referee, and all the infrastructure that supports a rugby match on Saturdays.

As another bleak winter weekend passes without a senior rugby match it seems appropriate to reflect on what actually goes into the week prior to a game, and the problems experienced in losing a match to the weather.

On Sundays the thriving junior section get the run of the club. Catering for numbers sometimes getting on for 100, there is a team of parents who provide coaching and meals. Inevitably that quantity of youngsters leaves an aftermath of debris.

After Sunday the week behind the scenes begins. The signboard is changed announcing next week's opponents at Stacks Field.

Monday sees the Chairman doing a solo sweep up of the changing rooms to ensure they are decent for training. Three senior teams are selected, Chairman of rugby, captains and coaches putting their ideas from the previous Saturday on paper.

The Gazette is notified for publication. Then it is a week of notifying players of where and when they have to be on Saturday, making adjustments to teams as injuries etc take their toll on players. In the old days this was the job of a committee, today it is a one or two man job.

Steward and stewardess clean the clubhouse to ensure it fit for use at the weekend. What an excellent job they do too!

Tuesday is senior training night; this time of the year the grammar school gym is a welcome indoor facility.

The steward works out his order for the brewery based on the anticipated games at home this weekend.

Wednesday sees the secretary phoning round and putting together programme notes, getting the details of both teams and preparing a centrepiece for the match programme.

Meanwhile the treasurer is paying bills, accounting for cash and doing the hundred and one other small bits of accountancy that happen almost every day.

Wednesday often sees some of the older juniors getting some extra coaching.

Thursday and the 'last of the summer wine' gang is in full gear at the club. Cleaning the changing rooms (why do little hands like to smear mud all over the clean white walls?), the shower, the bath, the toilets; sweep the patio; empty the bins; tidy up litter and generally doing the little jobs that crop up all the time.

The excellent ground staff mark the pitch. This week they spike and roll it, whilst the chairman and secretary apply river sand to first team pitch along with the grounds chairman.

Training is at the club Thursday nights and 30 players train hard and get a good hot meal provided by the gallant catering ladies.

Thursday also sees a committee meeting. Main topics are: treasury, finances are healthy (how many other clubs would give their right arm to be able to say that), but the first few months of the year are cash negative so care is required. The juniors are working towards implementing the Active Sports programme, an RFU initiative to attract more youngsters to a physically demanding pastime. The main issue is the car park, which has deteriorated to such a state that we are in danger of losing small people in the potholes.

The Chairman has proposal to resurface it properly. It is a lot of money but he is confident of being able to raise it and that it will become a generator of revenue in future years.

The Gazette falls through our letter boxes, reports are studied, teams mulled over and players discover they can't travel. The referee is confirmed.

The rugby chairman and team captains receive and make more phone calls to players to fill teams.

Friday sees the programme being finished, duplicated and about 150 copies hand stapled into the outer covers. More phone calls by the rugby chairman and team captains.

Saturday - Then everything is for nought. The game is called off. The catering ladies have to rescue what pre-prepared food they can. Their Saturday is a write-off, no income and lost stock.

Bar staff are cancelled. Beer is still on the rack and in danger of passing its sell-by date. Let's hope there are plenty of junior parents on Sunday - if that's on. The two volunteer gatemen are cancelled.

The chairman of rugby and team captains now have to stand down their men, who are all keyed up and raring to put Ilkley's season back on track. The team manager puts all the jerseys back in the bag. At least he got to know before he went and put out the corner flags and checked the hot water.

The secretary miserably unstaples150 programmes, tears up the notes and team sheets. Disappointed supporters arrive at 2 pm to be dismayed the match is off.

At least there is a social event Saturday evening to get rid of some of the bar stock but the loss of bar revenue for another Saturday concerns the treasurer.

More tidying up by the stewards and it's Sunday again. The pitch has thawed out, the juniors are back. Mums cooking, Fathers coaching and the whole cycle starts again.

Ilkley can be relieved that none of their rivals at the bottom of the league won. Although they languish next to bottom, they have games in hand and there is still time and opportunity to get some precious points in the bag and climb out of trouble. Matches in hand are at home to the bottom clubs, Pocklington and Northallerton. With home games against sides they have the ability to beat and away games against sides they have already beaten, it is now all about true grit and determination.

Saturday's trip to Beverley is the next step. Ilkley must get a win here, having won at home in a closely fought encounter. Ilkley have only lost badly twice this season. All their other matches have been hard fought, close encounters and at the end of the season they will know that they have given their best, at least on most occasions. A few points extra and the picture would be totally different. However they really could do with strengthening the side and with a registration period of only seven days, there could still be opportunities for new signings if there are players out there who would like to add weight to Ilkley's battle to avoid relegation.