Elks Back On Track

Ilkeston got back on track with a hard won victory over Nuneaton Old Edwardians at the Stute on Saturday.

The return of Ben Wells, Steve Quinn and Steve Fowkes gave the side a more solid look up front and the fit again Jono Falls added a touch of pace and guile at full back. The ever increasing injury list again necessitated shuffling the assets with Pete Smith operating at fly half and Dan Mahoney at flanker. This was the first time the two sides had met in a league encounter and the opening exchanges were scrappy as both tried to establish a pattern.

The visitors were first to strike when poor defence around the base of a ruck allowed Jones to break and earn a penalty inside the twenty two which he converted himself to create a 0 - 3 lead after six minutes. The lead should have been stretched shortly after when Hyslop sped clear only to be denied by a try saving tackle from Falls.

The game was twenty minutes old before the Elks showed any sparkle. The scrum began to exert some pressure with Pringle, Moore and Wells gradually gaining the upper hand. As a result the quality of the ball improved giving Haigh and Smith more time and space to select their options. A long miss pass from Smith allowed Falls to break but his pass to Ayres was knocked back by Holes, earning the Elks a five metre scrum. Quality ball was again produced, Smith jinked through a gap and offloaded in the tackle to Mahoney who touched down between the posts. Falls converted to give the home side a 7 - 3 lead very much against
the run of play.

The score injected life into the Elks and they began to play with more confidence, looking to move the ball wide. Fowkes, Stoker and Quinn were supplying line out ball which allowed the backs to play on the front foot. When Stoker was forced to retire with a facial wound Garland slotted in seemlessly and ensured the supply continued. Dan Taylor and Gatehouse began to impose themselves as the half progressed and their darts through midfield gave opportunities for Fowkes, Rudkin and Quinn to take up telling support positions which stretched the Nuneaton defence. The pressure exerted was rewarded close to half time when Quinn, Falls and Smith drove play to the visitors line. The ball was quickly recycled and Dan Taylors perfect selection of pass put his brother Lewis into the corner giving the Elks a 12 - 3 lead at half time.

With the slope and slight breeze in their favour the Elks may have felt that the hard work had been done. Nuneaton however had other ideas and struck within three minutes of the restart when Steele dashed through a gap to score by the posts. Jones conversion made it 12 - 10. The Elks response was immediate. Smith and Dan Taylor created space for Ayres but Carter forced him into touch. Fowkes stole the line out and Dan Taylor and Gatehouse set up a ruck in midfield. Haigh was on hand to distribute and his reverse pass enabled Quinn to crash over and carry the score to 17 - 10.

Quinn scored his second try five minutes later when Moore stole a scrum against the head allowing Quinn to pick and muscle his way over. Falls conversion stretched the lead to 24 - 10. A second strike against the head led to Lewis Taylors second try. Quick thinking by Haigh fed Falls on the short side, he made ground and linked with Taylor who sped in from half way. Falls converted from the touchline giving the Elks a 31 - 10 lead with only twenty minutes left.

Gatehouse retired to be replaced by Gwynne who was straight into the action with a tackle on Brown, preventing a score in the corner. Nuneaton however were not to be denied and pressure earned a line out close to the Elks line. The ball was secured, driven forward by Jones to make it 31 - 17. As the game entered the last quarter the Elks were forced to endure a real test of character. First Mahoney and then Rudkin were yellow carded reducing the Elks to thirteen men. Desperate defence kept Nuneaton at bay until the thirty ninth minute when the superior numbers created an overlap and Holes scored in the corner to leave the final score at 31 - 22.

Man of the match - Lewis Taylor