Sping in the air down by the Aire

With the Easter holidays in full swing, and several players unavailable, the remaining Bees players joined forces with those of Ilkley to take on Baildon.

A stunning opening ten minutes saw the 'Ilkley Bees' race into a 12-0 lead. Good scrummaging by Ethan and Jake ensured the three-quarter line, led strongly by Josh received good quality ball for Olly, Ilkley's speedy winger to score 2 super tries. A little bit of complacency allowed Baildon to come back strongly and level the scores. More pressure from the strong Baildon team meant the 'Home' side had plenty of work to do to keep the opposition from scoring again. Josh and Ben were constantly putting in tackles, well supported by Jake and Ethan. However, the pressure told, and Baildon took the lead to 19-12 at half-time.

The 2nd half saw Baildon increase their lead to 31-12. However, good play saw the Ilkley Bees reduce the score to 31-26 at the final whistle.

Overall, a good close game that our young Bees should feel very proud of, especially as Baildon played all 5 of the ex-Bees players who felt the need to play their rugby elsewhere at the start of this season. It showed that with sufficient numbers there is plenty of skill, effort and determination to keep improving both individually and as a team.