Thrills and Spills as Elks Bounce into Spring.

On a glorious first saturday of spring Ilkeston welcomed a Coalville side desperate for points in their fight against relegation.

An open game was expected as despite their lowly position Coalville's strength lies in their fleet footed back division. Elks were also aware that a good performance was required if their faint play off hopes were to be kept alive. A reshuffled Elks pack, due to the unavailability of Moore and Corcoran, saw Simon Hallam make his first start of the season on the front row, Quinn move to number eight and veteran Rudkin on the flank. JJ Connolly was welcomed back on the wing in place of Mahoney.

If the shirt sleeved crowd were expecting a points fest they were not to be disappointed, although the coaches of both sides will have plenty to work on as a catalogue of errors helped to keep the score fizzing along.

The first score came on seven minutes as Haigh robbed his opposite number following a Coalville scrum on their twenty two. Quick hands from Haigh to Gatehouse who fed Dan Taylor whose raking pass found Ayres on his own for the wing to score in the corner. Connolly resumed the mantle of kicking but missed from the touchline leaving it 5 - 0.

The visitors were level five minutes later when from a seemingly safe position midway in their own half a loose pass from Gatehouse was
intercepted by Griffin who raced through to touch down made it 5 - 5. On twenty minutes Ilkeston regained the lead when Mc Elvey win a Coalville
line out on the visitors twenty two, a ruck was formed after Connolly was stopped in full flow, Haigh fed Quinn who powered over with Connolly
converting to make it 12 - 5. There then followed four tries in the ten minutes to Half time, three in favour of the Elks. First the ever dominant Fowkes won a line out and fed Haigh who slipped the ball to Greg Taylor to burst through under the posts. Connolly converted. Two minutes later another loose pass on the half way line saw griffin again race unopposed to score for Coalville. Blackburn,s conversion took the score to 19 - 12.

On thirty five minutes came the move of the match. Almost from the restart, Fowkes won a bouncing ball just inside the Coalville half, off loaded to Gatehouse who moved the ball along the backs finally finding Lewis Taylor who sped into the corner. Connolly converted for 26 - 12. With two minutes remaining the Coalville full back attempted a long clearance which was charged down by Haigh who ran through to touch down under the posts. Connolly added the extras for a 33 - 12 score at half time.

Elks ran the changes in the secong half with Quinn and Wells nursing minor injuries being replaced by Stoker and Meakin. Stoker came in at second row and Bennett moved into the back row. Within five minutes Elks were reduced to fourteen men with Greg Taylor adjudged to have entered the loose form the side.

Coalville immediately took advantage of their superior numbers to score under the posts following a break from a five metre scrum. The conversion reduced the arrears to 33 - 26. Rudkin was forced from the field with a hamstring problem to be replaced by Jack Townsend. On Taylors return to the fray the impact was instant. Fowkes winning a Coalville line out, feeding the ball through gatehouse to Ayres and Greg Taylor who cut inside to create room on the wing for Townsend to receive
his pin point pass and dart over in the corner. The youth products maiden try for the first fifteen brought the score to 38 - 26.

The final ten minutes saw a further burst of tries. Coalville were penalised for a knock on, Haigh quickly released the ball to Gatehouse whose glance saw the full back missing and his exquisite chip bounced invitingly for Dan Taylor to score his second try and bring the score to 43 - 26. Within a couple of minutes Coalville were back in the mix with a breakaway try by Griffin after errant Elks passing in an innocuous mid field position. The conversion made it 43 - 33. With the clock ticking the final try of the afternoon went to the Elks with Greg Taylor grabbing his second and Connolly converting for the final score on 50 - 33. A hugely entertaining game palyed in great spirit, but as coach Craig Hammond commented 'not one for the purists'.

The Elks travel to second placed Paviors next Saturday in a must win game to keep the play off hopes alive.

Classic Drinks Man of the match Steve Fowkes

Progamme notes by Mark Towers