Every Sandal player in every position dominated their opponent today. In attack we were clinical, in defence we were aggressive, and supporters will have been thrilled to see the return of the ruthlessness that is the trademark of our team.

Once again, Sandal started strongly by recycling possession, dominating the contact area and consistently challenging their opponents defensive line. However, the point of difference from other games was that today we maintained this level of intensity throughout. Big carries from the pack, especially James Stewart and Nick Carolan and the hard charging Gareth Williamson saw Sandal make significant gains across the park. The hard work spent on developing the scrum under coach Ben West was evident today as the pack gave their opponents a torrid time at every set piece.

Though Greg Wood's penalty kick saw Sandal take the lead, Ilkley were gifted two gilt edged chances to score, but fortunately they either spilled the ball or kicked it dead. Steve Nolson almost scored after a 40m run through the Ilkley defence but was brought down by a great last-ditch tackle from their full back on the 5m line.

Home pressure paid off when Alex Edler burst through the Ilkley cover, making 10m, his bowling action offload to Will Morecombe allowed him to split the defence and execute a 2v1 that allowed Steve Nolson to score under the posts. Sandal gifted Ilkley a try shortly after the restart after the team stopped playing thinking that a penalty would be awarded.

James Ellar playing on the wing today showed magnificent speed and balance to evade the Ilkley defence and score a 60m effort. The ever-dependable Greg Wood slotted the conversion giving Sandal a 17-7 lead with 5 minutes to go of the half. Ilkley did finish strongly and tried to exert pressure but a turnover by Tom Fountain who jackled the ball on his 22m line not only eliminated the threat but encapsulated the effort, attitude and determination on show.

The second half saw Ilkley score in the first 5 minutes to bring the score to 17-14, before the impressive Steve Nolson scored his second try taking a flat ball after a great run by Simon Frewin fractured the Ilkley defence. Greg Wood's conversion was the trigger for Sandal to shift into another gear to end any lingering hope that Ilkley may have had. The scrum that was the cornerstone of the Sandal game systematically destroyed Ilkley's set piece forcing them to concede 7 scrum penalties. Constant ball retention and clear heads near the line led to Tom Baxter bursting over from 5m out. Another Greg Wood conversion extended the lead to 31-14 and he added another penalty to set the final score.

It's hard to pick out individuals from such a strong performance, but mention needs to be made of Greg Wood with a 100% kicking record and for his efforts leading the defensive line. The front row of James Purcell, Jamie Heron and Tom Baxter who played the full 80 and turned their opponents inside out, credit is also due to the whole pack for their effort. Steve Nolson, a great debut by Elliott Munnelley who brought physicality to midfield and the ever-impressive James Ellar also played their part.

We go into the rest week on a positive note, continued hard work and debriefing the areas for improvement will set us up for the away match against Wirral.

Onwards!