Hull’s four match winning run came to an abrupt halt against a free running Ilkley side who fed off Hull’s errors to win a highly entertaining and high scoring match. Hull head coach Declan Cusack summed up his post match feelings when he said, ”we made to many mistakes in the first half and let the game get away from us”.
In a game where sixteen tries were scored it was Hull who struck first when centre Caleb Stanley made a clean break paving the way for full back James Farrar to race in at the left hand corner for an unconverted try after four minutes. Three minutes later, after Ilkley had missed a penalty , Hull’s drop out was fielded by the home side and some missed tackles by Hull allowed Ilkley back row forward Cameron Briggs to touch down with his centre Louis Anderson adding the conversion.
It didn’t take long for Hull to regain the lead after a penalty award, and a good kick to touch, saw Hull’s line out and catch and drive end up with Hull’s captain Ali Heard scoring a try converted by off half Harry Gunn-McLean.
It was then that Ilkley took control of the match scoring four converted tries in the space of fifteen minutes to take the game away from Hull. After conceding two penalties in as many minutes Hull were unable to withstand the Ilkley pressure as they moved the ball wide from a lineout near Hull’s line for winger Harry Taylor to touch down. Hull conceded the ball again two minutes later and Ilkley’s scrum half Matty Sheard rounded off a good attack with a further try under the posts. Almost immediately Hull yet again failed to control the ball and the home sides pace saw them race through a gap with centre Kieran Wilyman touching down. Winger Harry Smith rounded off this barrage of scoring after his forwards won a lineout deep in Hull’s twenty two metre area and the ball was moved left with Ilkley’s attacker in chief, full back Ben Magee, putting his winger in for his sides fourth try in this fifteen minute burst .Louis Anderson converted all four of the tries seeing his side in complete command at 35-12. Hull then introduced prop Charlie Beech and his appearance galvanised Hull when he scored a try from a catch and drive manoeuvre after a lineout near the home sides line. Off half Harry Gunn McLean’s conversion saw Hull with just a glimmer of hope at half time with the score at 35-19.
The second half saw Hull narrow the gap even further when Hull substitute Bureta Faraimo crashed over, after another Hull catch and drive, with Harry Gunn-McLean unlucky to see his conversion bounce back off the post.
Just when Hull seemed to be getting back into the game, Ilkley’s fullback Ben Magee showed his pace and evasive skills to ease his way through the Hull defence to touch down in the left hand corner for an unconverted try to put his side 40-24 in the lead.
At this stage Hull lost Harvey Harding to a yellow card and Ilkley responded by scoring a further try through winger Harry Smith which went unconverted after fifty seven minutes .Despite this set back Hull’s fighting spirit was never in doubt and after another typical power break by Hull’s back row forward Alec Renouf the ball arrived with the league’s top try scorer Tom Minns who dived over in the left hand corner for an unconverted try.
A further Charlie Beech try from short range went unconverted and Hull were tantalizingly close at 45-34 with over ten minutes left of the game.
However Hull conceded two more yellow cards in the time left , effectively derailing the comeback as Ilkley scored a late try through the man of the match, Ben Magee, converted by Louis Anderson who also kicked a late penalty to see his side comfortably home and dry 55-34.
Hull will wonder how they lost a match in which they scored six tries but missed goal kicks, albeit difficult ones, and three yellow cards made it just too difficult to overhaul a pacy talented Ilkley side .
