Grimsby 13 Ilkeston 15
The last time these sides met at Springfield Road it was with a last-minute thrilling kick that Grimsby claimed the Midlands Three East (North) points. This time it was the turn of the visiting side to take the honours with a penalty kick in the dying minutes. Grimsby battled to the end and were desperately unlucky not to take the points. The Blues were constantly punished by the ranging boot of the Ilkeston kicker as the away side provided no sign of wishing to cross the try line. More injuries plagued Grimsby with new captain Ben Pharaoh on the bench with a thigh injury.
From the kick-off the weather conditions played a major part, with a greasy ball being spilled by both sides, more so by Grimsby as they tried to play the more attacking rugby. Ilkeston opened the scoring with a penalty, sent over the posts after an initial effort failed. The Grimsby pack were by far the stronger in the scrummage and in the loose and it was the spilled ball from the home backs that interrupted the flow of the game. The superiority of the home pack was telling on a march up the pitch and, from a rare Grimsby penalty, the tap was taken quickly and Marc Burke crashed over the line. The conversion missed. Ilkeston hit back with some rare pressure on the Grimsby line and added another penalty. From the next spell prop James Martin fell foul of the referee's interpretation of the laws and was sent from the field for a 10 minute rest as the result of a yellow card. Again the away side put pressure on Grimsby and the home defence remained defiant. The forwards, being a player down, performed magnificently in defence with Joe Davies, Neil Corry and Mike Newman deserving mention. It was in this passage, Ilkeston's best of the game, that all 15 of the Grimsby team performed magnificently in defence and held the away side to just a three-point penalty. Grimsby then answered with one of their own, kicked by Darren Daly.
The second half went much the same as the first, spilled ball and the referee being confused by the speed at which Grimsby rucked, and many a questionable penalty was awarded to the away side in key positions. Changes were made halfway through the second half with Roger Bainbridge making his debut and Pharaoh coming on for Shane Lowery. Grimsby speeded up their play and there was more urgency. Good forward drives and scrummaging allowed Mike Newman to score from a push-over try. The final passages of the game were littered, again, with penalty after penalty against the home side, with confusion being rife on the faces of players and spectators alike. Two were converted by the impressive Ilkeston kicker, the last with two minutes to go and not enough time for Grimsby to work into their half. Lessons need to be learned from this performance. While it showed plenty of character, effort and commitment, Grimsby are going to have to learn to adapt to referees who interpret the laws this way. Sharpness and accuracy are also key to turning the effort on the pitch into results.
The Pavilion, Springfield Road, Scartho, Grimsby, NE Lincs, DN33 3JF