Sheffield Tigers 11 Ilkley 0

The pitch at Dore Moor was on the cusp of being unplayable, with standing water in places and water that had been redistributed elsewhere by a morning tractor and harrow.

These conditions were not really acceptable for Yorkshire One never mind North Two East where Tigers will be playing next season. The fact that a relatively entertaining game took place is totally down to the players who went about their rugby on this farce of a pitch with commitment and determination. That goes for both sides.

Tigers came out on top courtesy of two first-half penalties from excellent stand-off Craig Beattie after Ilkley had been correctly penalised for off-side as Tigers put their line under repeated pressure. A try on 60 minutes by the equally splendid scrum-half Neil Pearson clinched matters for the Sheffield side.

Ilkley went into this match without first choice back rower Charlie Cudworth, who would have revelled in these conditions, however his deputy Mark Hibbs put in a sterling performance. Also missing was Dan Nulty, although one would have to say he would have hated the ground and, with water coming in over his boot tops, would not have enjoyed much in the way of running opportunities.

Nulty's deputy Chris Weatherby is rather better adapted for aquatic rugby and he too put in a good performance before being substituted by Brendan Kelley on the hour. Also missing was the hard tackling centre Nick Bell who chose well to miss this one. Tim Rawlins did a great job in his place.

The game was remarkable for its lack of anything or any incident really remarkable, in the conditions that was no surprise.

Tigers must have spent all but five minutes of the first-half in the Dalesmen's half and a considerable portion of that in their 22. However, in their time in Yorkshire One, these Dalesmen have learned how to defend and defend they did, keeping out wave after wave of Tigers' forays.

Tim Barley was marshalling the troops with great gusto from half-back, receiving a bloodied nose in the process. Time after time the Dalesmen forced Tigers into errors that frustrated their coaching staff. They tackled to a man like demons with Jack Shayler and the back row of Hibbs, Ian MacKenzie and Tosh Palmer Hoyes exemplary in this.

Weatherby had one delicate little Nultyesque chip and chase which took the Dalesmen deep into Tigers' territory only for an indiscretion to allow Tigers to clear.

Stuart Vincent had one good run beating three before he was buried, but apart from that play was largely midfield or in the Dalesmens' 22.

Ilkley's scrum too took an upper hand against a very experienced and accomplished Tigers front three. Tony Coughlan led the way with some major hits to boot. John Cooksey, then Fred Matthews and big Jon Hutchinson took up the baton when required.

Referee Mike Ramsden, an arbiter of no mean repute, was obliged to blow soon in ruck situations. Had anyone been face down in that mud, the situation could have been dangerous. That neither helped nor hindered either side.

Turnovers were frequent, due entirely to the slippy ball. Ilkley did seem to suffer more than their fair share of turnovers and probably this, and the fact that Tigers had a kicker in Beattie who assessed and adapted to the conditions better, was the difference between the two sides.

The Dalesmen went into 6-0 down and, with the wind in their backs for the second-half, there was every chance of pulling off a shock result. No coaching manual could tell coach Richard Midgely how to deal with these conditions!

To their eternal credit they went for it. They had to run the ball wide because taking the Tigers on in a driving and mauling game was making little headway. Barley got the tireless Jim McBirnie into the action and he made a couple of incisive runs. Rawlins also looked likely despite his lack of bulk. However, it was always a struggle to get the ball to the wings simply because it was so difficult to handle. Simon Smith came in looking for work and he made a few holes open up. Weatherby and then Kelley found little joy on the wing but their defence was good.

Tigers seemed to up their game a gear whenever they got a sniff of the Ilkley line, but that herculean defence and some unforced handling errors kept them at bay, except the vital once, when Pearson darted over after four or five good phases and found the Ilkley defensive wall with a brick loose.

Try as they did the Dalesmen rarely found their way into the Tigers' 22 and to within scoring distance of their line. An 11-0 scoreline in such conditions was testament to a massive effort by the whole team.

Tigers will shortly be able to live their dream of promotion while Ilkley must now get maximum points from their remaining two league encounters. The next in a week's time at home to Pontefract in a real 'four pointer'.