ILKLEY'S home match against Blackburn last Saturday bucked the trend for pre-season games.

August friendlies normally involve a spree of points but the hosts had to settle for a 17-5 victory over their North One West visitors after tries by Luke Freer, Lewis Johnston and Ben Magee.

However, it wasn't for the lack of trying on Ilkley's part as head coach Rhys Morgan said: "We blew about five try-scoring opportunities, including a couple of two-on-ones, and missed other chances when our line-out didn't function.

"But we played the game in four 20-minute periods and used 30 players, so a lot of it was down to lads feeling their way and our execution.

"It is a very new squad and they are still getting used to each other but this is what pre-season is all about, and I would rather us make the mistakes now than when the season starts proper.

"However, we only allowed Blackburn one try, and that is down to the work that we have been doing on defence in pre-season."

Among the newcomers to shine were a trio who have signed from Old Grovians in Chris Blackhall, Adam Driver and Martyn Mitchell, with Morgan adding: "They have fitted in really well and it feels that they have been here for decades.

"Also Luke Freer is showing up well, which means, alongside Declan Jackson, that we have a couple of cracking players from Old Otliensians, while Oliver Holtam, Lewis Johnston and Chris Gemmell, who have all been out of the game for a while, are quality players."

Ilkley, who continue their pre-season on Saturday by taking a squad of 25 to Bridgnorth, was very much the hub of Yorkshire rugby last Saturday as they followed the match against Blackburn by staging the Yorkshire Carnegie v Bath friendly.

Morgan said: "There was a crowd of about 1,500, including those who had watched the first match, players and alickadoos, and the day went really well.

"I wasn't involved in a big way – that was down to Tom Gillon and his helpers, who did a superb job – but it is great that a club like ours can host a match like that as I know that there was competition to stage it from Harrogate and West Park Leeds."