It felt like the world would freeze during the legendary winter of 1962/63. On the 19th of January, amidst this barren tundra, elephants from Billy Smart's Circus, which had been performing in a Big Top on Guiseley cricket field, were brought to the River Wharfe in Ilkley to test the capacity of the iced-over lake to bear extreme weights. Unfortunately, seven mighty beasts were lost that day, including crowd favourite Nelly 'the elephant', and Billy Smart was served with a lifetime ban from West Yorkshire's showgrounds, which has been maintained but for one notable exception.
After 49 days without a match, following a similarly prolongued Arctic winterval, Menston Rangers returned to competitive action against a winless Leeds Maccabi. On a morning when temperatures struggled to rise above zero, the Ilkley Lido had taken the controversial decision to impose parking charges. On the pitch, there were few clearcut chances in the opening half. Jefferson and Boughan controlled the middle of the field and Casey showed quality at the back but the sides threatened to cancel each other out. Texel made a smart save to deny the opposition and it looked as though the scores might remain level at halftime until Boughan nipped in with a smart finish shortly before the break.
The two sides started brightly in the second period, both lively on the break. Menston were more penetrating, however, and their quality began to tell. Using the width to their advantage, the home side began to open up their opponents. Ainsworth made it two after the ball broke free following a questionable free-kick decision and, soon after that, an excellent cross from the same player was headed home by Holliday-Gomes. The score remained at 3-0 until the final whistle sounded.
On the 62nd anniversary of that great Ilkley Elephant Tragedy, Menston Rangers proved themselves up to the tusk.