MALTON & Norton RUFC slumped to the bottom of Yorkshire One with a 27-10 defeat at windswept Ilkley.

Ian Cooke put Malton ahead with a converted penalty but they allowed Ilkley back into the game when they messed up a scrum five metres from their own line and the Ilkley scrum-half was gifted a try.

With quarter of an hour gone another basic error handed Ilkley another score. A speculative kick ahead landed in no man's land close to the Malton 22 metre line. Malton were first to the ball but failed to secure it and an eager opponent was allowed to hack forward and win the race for the touchdown.

Malton suffered a further set- back when Carl Muscroft was sin-binned for interference at a ruck. Ilkley took full advantage of their temporary numerical supremacy and were rewarded with a try from the resultant scrum to go 17-3 ahead.

The introduction of Paul Dobson at prop added more urgency and purpose to Malton's forwards. From midfield, second-row John Dobson burst through the first line of defence and crossed beneath the posts for Cooke to convert.

Ilkley snuffed out any hope of a Malton revival by rounding off with two late unconverted tries to complete a thoroughly miserable day for Malton.