ELKS PIPPED AT POST

Classic Drinks Man of the Match – Lewis Taylor

A sunny autumnal afternoon saw the welcome return of competitive rugby to the Stute, with the first home game of the new season’s campaign. The Elks, still on a high from the enthralling opening fixture, were this week hosting top of the table and league favourites Syston. With the visitors doing the double over the Elks last season, the home team were hoping that their winning form would continue and see them take maximum points from the game.
Ilkeston were fielding a full strength team with the inclusion of all three Taylor brothers. A minutes silence preceded kick off and the game was dedicated to the memory of Gareth Lewis who tragically died during the summer.
The Elks kicked the game off with a high tempo which saw them push forward into the Syston half. From a lineout ball Paul Shoebridge moved into the middle, passing to Steve Quinn who was fouled with a high tackle, earning a penalty for the home team on 45 metres. JJ Connolly took and converted the shot opening the score to 3-0.
Flowing attacking rugby continued to be showcased from the Elks but Syston rallied, gained possession and began to push forward for the first time in the game. The move was stopped by Greg Taylor, who passed the ball on to his brother Dan, who fed Adam Stoker and the second row moved play back deep inside the visitors half forcing them to defend once more. As they did they conceded a second penalty which was again converted by Connolly, taking the score to 6-0 on ten minutes.
The Elks continued to exert possession and from a tackle out wide the ball was passed into the middle of the field and taken on by Dan Taylor who made a good run, passing the ball out wide to Dan Mahoney who powered came in off his wing to switch play, forced his way through several attempted tackles leaving the Syston players in his wake as he crashed over the line. Leaving Connolly to drill the conversion home and elevate the score line to an attractive 13-0.
With Ilkeston edging ever further away from their visitors on the score sheet, Syston appeared to come alive and into action as they took hold of the ball and pushed forward, taking play into the Elks half for the first time in the game. As a scrum ensued and they drove the ball on Syston were awarded a penalty for not releasing the tackled player on the floor and Smith successfully took the kick to open their account and leave the score 13-3 after sixteen minutes.
With Syston now looking like more of a threat, Dan Taylor made a good tackle on the halfway line once again forcing the visitors to defend. An Ilkeston substitution followed with Simon Bennett replacing Steve Quinn, who was forced off following a high tackle which went unpunished.
Shortly after the reshuffle Syston had a lineout which they won and subsequently drove a rolling maul into the corner and over the line. With the conversion being missed the score then stood at 13-8 with the try going to hooker Coltman.
However, the Elks were in no mood to take their foot of the accelerator as they played down the slope. From a solid scrum skipper Adam Corcoran picked up and passed out to scrum half Lewis Taylor, a midfield move involving Connolly, Dan Taylor and his brother Greg then ensued which ended with Greg Taylor crashing over for the Elks’ second try on the half hour. As the conversion was missed by Connolly the score stood at 18-8.
Syston were again awarded a penalty for not releasing on the floor, which was sent over by Smith to move the score onto18-11.
A deal of grit and determined play was much a part of the Elks game and a good battle in midfield was being showcased from both teams. Shortly before half time, Syston, from their lineout deep in their twenty two, produced a poor clearance kick which was countered by Mahoney, fed to Greg Taylor who sent winger Ellis Hallam over the line just under the post. The successful conversion propelled the score to 25-11. It was clear the Elks were determined to make up for two the defeats from the visitors in the previous season as they showcased a solid defence which Syston appeared to find hard to break down.
Greg Taylor made a good run from deep inside the Syston half and a tackle on the halfway line led to a Syston lineout. From this the Elks were forced to defend hard as they faced increasing pressure from the visitors but they stood up well to the challenge.
However with the final play of the first half, Syston appeared to step up a gear, once again testing the Ilkeston defence. From an infringement at the scrum Syston kept the ball alive through a number of phases and they grabbed a try from a rolling maul and with Smith converting they gained seven7 points right on the half time whistle, taking the score to 25-18 at the break.
Syston had the advantage in the second half of having the wind behind them and playing down the slope, which they made good use of as they began to dominate play a little more. The Elks play had also seemed to become disrupted with the loss of Jason Falls as a prop, due to a knock to the head and the early loss of Quinn in the back row.
From the restart both teams displayed an air of determination about their play, which made for a good fast paced and physical game. After ten minutes a Syston scrum close to the Elks’ line saw them opt for the driving maul again and they drove over for a second try and with the kick missed the Elks’ lead reduced to 25-23. A period of open play then followed at the end of which Ilkeston won a scrum on thirty five metres. A front row infringement gifted the home team a penalty and Connolly duly slotted the attempt to nudge the Elks ahead at 28-23. The Elks then made a substitution in the centre with Ben Gatehouse replacing Scott Rudkin in the centre.
The visitors sensed that they might get something out of the game and they duly reverted to type when they secured their own lineout ball set up a rolling maul and saw them score their third try of the game in this way. The conversion was missed levelling the scores 28-28 on sixty five minutes.
The Elks tried to press up the hill again and a clean lineout take by Stoker led to the start of a promising move in which Lewis Taylor made a half break and fed his half back partner Connolly. However he was tackled in midfield and the advantage went to Syston when he dropped a knee on the floor and was penalised for not releasing. From the ensuing lineout play was pushed back into the Elks half, forcing them to defend and hold on for at least a draw from the game, Connolly held on well and cleared the ball off the line.
An Elks penalty was kicked deep into the Syston half, and resulted in a lineout for the home team. This was well taken again by Stoker; it led to a maul and was then moved into the middle of the park. From a Syston scrum the Elks’ took one against the head and another good midfield link up followed involving good hands from Lewis Taylor, Bennett, Connolly and Dan Taylor promised much but came to nothing as the ball was knocked on in a tackle.
The final few minutes of the game were certainly nail biting with both sides seeking to counter attack, each eager to elevate their side of the score sheet. Both sides seemed to suffer from the tension as both made a series of errors handing the advantage to and fro as the tension mounted.
The finale was heart breaking for the home supporters as deep into injury time the Elks won a scrum deep in the visitors half. Seeking to move the ball out to their speedy backs the attempted miss pass was intercepted by the finger tips of the speedy Warren Coles leaving him free to power down the pitch and go over the line between the posts unopposed at the other end. With a successful conversion and the final whistle imminent the score finished at 28-35 after the Elks’ kicked possession away and the visitors opted to kick the ball out to produce the final whistle.
Ilkeston gave a good, solid performance and battled well in midfield, perhaps deserving to take more than just the one losing bonus point from the game.