Vote for your Ealing Trailfinders Player of the Month for September.
Following an exciting start to the 2022/23 season, it’s now time to vote for your September Player of the Month!
The players nominated are:
CLICK HERE to vote for your Player of the Month.
Voting closes at 5pm Monday 3rd October. The winner will be announced via our website and social media channels on Wednesday 5th October.
Trailfinders had four representatives running out at the Athletic Ground this weekend as London Scottish welcomed Jersey Reds to South-West London.
Prop Elliot Chilvers, second-row David Douglas Bridge and winger Josh Gillespie all started the game while Trailfinders Rugby Academy player Lawrence Mason made his debut for the Exiles from the bench.
After a physical start, Chilvers was taken off early, but Scottish did well to contain their full time opponents and they only trailed 12-7 at the half-time break. Scottish did well to absorb a lot of pressure in the first half, but this changed in the second 40. Jersey ran in seven second half scores as they ran out 55-21 winners.
Josh made good in-roads throughout the game while David worked tirelessly around the park and at the breakdown. The standout performance however came from Lawrence, who was a real menace off the bench. He made several clean breaks and his quick thinking helped setup Scottish’s third and final try as he received a quick line-out before providing the final pass for winger Zach Clow to score.
Ealing Trailfinders are delighted to announce that Jonathan Thomas will assist the coaching team as a Forwards Consultant.
Thomas (JT) joins us with a wealth of experience and expertise to help improve the team. He has previously been Head Coach at Worcester Warriors, from 2020 up until the start of this year. Before that he spent four years at Bristol Bears as Defence and Forwards Coach learning under Pat Lam. He helped the Bears achieve promotion to the Premiership and win the Challenge Cup (their first ever European title).
JT took up his role at Bristol immediately after finishing his hugely successful playing career. He represented Swansea, Ospreys and Worcester Warriors throughout his 14 year spell as a player. He was capped 67 times by the Welsh National team, starting every game during their 2005 and 2008 Grand-Slam winning campaigns. He went to two World Cups (2003 and 2007) and appeared in every Six Nations squad between 2004 and 2011.
Lam described him as “excellent team man and an outstanding young coach” when he left Bristol and JT has already started helping the squad.
JT said: “I’m really pleased to be here at Ealing and everyone at the club has been so welcoming, that I feel like I’ve been here for ages.
“From speaking to Wardy (Ben Ward) it just felt like a really natural fit. I’ve played in this league before, I’ve coached in this league before and so I know how tough the Championship is and hopefully I can make a positive difference.”
Director of Rugby Ben Ward said: “I’m really pleased to have been able to recruit someone of JT’s quality and know-how to help aid our coaching team. He is an incredibly exciting coach with Premiership experience and also the knowledge of how to get a team promoted from the Championship after being part of the Bristol staff that did so.
“He’s already slotted in well to our setup and I know the boys are learning a lot from him.”
To listen to JT’s full interview, click here.
This appointment comes after the mutually agreed release of Forwards and Defence coach Glen Townson. Due to family reasons, Glen was looking for a role closer to his home in Bristol. Everyone at Ealing Trailfinders thanks Glen for his work at the club, both as a coach and a player, and wishes him all the best for the future.
Ealing Trailfinders are proud to be the official water station sponsors of the Ealing Half Marathon.
The tenth anniversary of the Ealing Half Marathon takes place this Sunday 25th September and Ealing Trailfinders are delighted to be supporting this fantastic community event.
As part of our sponsorship, Ealing Trailfinders first-team players and staff will be positioned at the St Stephen’s Church Water Station, providing participants with refreshments and encouragement as they make their way through the 13.1 mile run.
We will also have our Ealing Trailfinders Foundation and Community team situated at the Finish Line / Race HQ in Lammas Park. We will have a range of community activities and games taking place, and you will have the opportunity to have your photo taken with our first-team players and club trophies.
To read the full Half Marathon guide click here.
Our best wishes to all participants taking on the Ealing Half Marathon this Sunday!
Away from our tough battle at Dillingham Park, there was just the one fixture this week which featured some of our loan or duel-registered players.
In what was a thrilling 85-point affair there were two Trailfinders in action for the Exiles at Goldington Road. Trailfinders Rugby Academy product Cam Terry made his debut for Scottish at hooker, while new signing David Douglas Bridge started in the second-row.
The visitors begun the contest slowly and Bedford raced out to a 21-0 lead after 15 minutes. Scottish however stayed in the fight and managed to tie the game up at 31-points apiece after just over an hour. Ultimately, the Blues proved too strong, and after two more tries and two penalties, they eventually ran out the victors.
Both of the boys played well, with David putting in a very solid and industrious display around the park and almost scoring a try on his Scottish debut, but was agonisingly just held up.
Cam also put in a great account of himself, nailing his set piece and throwing excellently. He was a rampant carrier and scrummaged really well to set up a platform for the rest of the side.
After a strong opening display, we now take to the road to face Ampthill for this weekend’s round two encounter.
After another strong campaign in 2021/22, Ampthill have made some astute signings to help bolster their squad.
The Mob have brought in a good balance of players, some with Premiership experience, as well as established Championship names. Back-row Caleb Montgomery comes in from Worcester Warriors, while fly-half/centre Tom Hardwick has experience at Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs.
Syd Blackmore (Pirates), Jake Ellwood, Harry Wilson, Sam Hanks (all London Scottish), Charlie Gowling (Richmond) and Pete White (Coventry) are all proven performers within the league and will be eager to develop further at Ampthill.
In terms of those who have left the club, they have only lost seven players during the off-season. Although this number is smaller than most, fly-half Russell Bennett moving to Jersey Reds is a big loss, as is prop Jamie Jack moving north of the border to Edinburgh.
Travelling to Ampthill is always a tough place to go and play due to the passionate support and unique setup at Dillingham Park.
Last weekend, the Mob welcomed Jersey Reds to Bedfordshire for their Championship opener, but were undone by a slow start. Jersey raced out to a 19-0 lead inside 25 minutes and had secured the bonus point by half-time.
Ampthill did well to fight back during the second period, scoring three tries in all, with Ollie Stonham, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White-White and Theo Dan all crossing, but the Reds ran out 36-21 victors.
Ampthill Head Coach said: “We prepared well and knew what Jersey are about but we were still tactically naive. We improved in the second half but have a lot to work on before Ealing visit next Saturday.”
Ampthill v Ealing Trailfinders
Date: Saturday 17th September
Kick-off time: 3.00pm
Location: Dillingham Park, Ampthill
Tickets: Available from £10 (buy here)
Coverage: Live coverage of the game will be available via our Twitter feed and the live blog on our website.
As the new Championship season got underway, it wasn’t just against Doncaster that some Trailfinders were in action.
In a new segment for this season, each week we’ll round-up all the impacts made by our loan or duel-registered players over the weekend.
This week there were Trailfinders in action for Bedford Blues and London Scottish.
On the opening night of the new Championship season, centre James Little and back-row Ollie Newman both ran out for Bedford Blues in their defeat at Coventry.
Their involvement was relatively last minute, as it had appeared that Bedford may have struggled to field a team due to their strategic partners, Northampton Saints, having two fixtures within 24-hours of the Blues’ league opener. Pre-game, Bedford Director of Rugby Mike Rayer said: “We’re indebted to Ben Ward and Pat Lam (Bristol Bears DoR) for their assistance this week going into our first game. Preparation has been pretty good all things considered.”
Despite a quick start, Bedford’s ill-discipline ultimately cost them as they conceded 22 penalties which helped Coventry to their eight point victory.
James was the more effective of the pair, making the second most carries by constantly charging through the midfield and was one of only two players to make an offload for Bedford as they were prevented from playing their traditional free flowing, attacking rugby.
Ollie, returning to the club he spent the past two seasons on dual-registration with from Northampton Saints, was as tenacious as ever, disrupting the breakdown throughout the contest.
Between the two of them they made 13 tackles, including two from James within two metres of the line when trying to repel the Coventry attack, but ultimately the hosts were too powerful at the driving maul and built a platform to secure victory.
Prop Elliot Chilvers and utility-back Josh Gillespie have both been performing well for London Scottish throughout preseason. Elliot started in the Exiles’ strong performance at home against Harlequins a fortnight ago, while Josh got on the scoresheet during their impressive 34-26 away win at URC side Edinburgh.
Coming into Saturday’s fixture at the Athletic Ground, Scottish were rightfully optimistic about getting a result, but fell to a clinical Nottingham performance.
Josh started the game and looked industrious for his 60 minutes, constantly looking for work. Elliot impressed off the bench, despite the fate of the game already being sealed when he came onto the pitch. He worked hard, winning several scrum penalties in the final quarter and also helping push over hooker Austin Wallis for Scottish’s final try of the game.
Trailfinders Sports Club will host the annual Fireworks Party on Saturday 5th November with an exciting evening planned.
You can expect their usual fantastic fireworks show with entertainment throughout the evening plus extra family entertainment for 2022 so get down early to make the most of what’s on offer!
Last year’s display sold out early so make sure to buy your tickets quickly to secure your spot at this years display. There will be food stalls, bars, mulled wine & sweets stations available throughout the venue.
CLICK HERE to book your tickets.
Tickets are now on sale for Saturday’s blockbuster league opener against Doncaster Knights.
EALING TRAILFINDERS v DONCASTER KNIGHTS – CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS.
RFU Championship – Round 1
Date: Saturday 10th September
Kick-Off: 3pm
Location: Trailfinders Sports Club
Tickets: Available from £16 (buy tickets here)
Coverage: Live coverage of the game will be available via our Twitter feed and the live blog on our website
Welcome to Match Day Live – Ealing Trailfinders v Zebre Parma (Preseason Fixture).
This page will be updated regularly throughout the game so please remember to refresh your page every few minutes (KO 3pm UK time).
FULL-TIME: EALING TRAILFINDERS 42-12 ZEBRE PARMA
80min- TRY EALING TRAILFINDERS– Reuben Bird-Tulloch adds the gloss as he scores his second following a great break by Campher. Shingler adds the extras.
77min- Zebre look to be building nicely but as they break through, they are called back for obstruction.
73min- TRY EALING TRAILFINDERS- A strong scrum gives us a great platform. Jack Grant puts Reuben Bird-Tulloch through a gap before the centre sidesteps the fullback and dots down underneath the sticks. Shingler adds the extras.
EALING TRAILFIDNERS 35-12 ZEBRE PARMA
70min- A delicious break from Will Montgomery slices them open through the middle. He can’t quite find support and so we recycle, but Luke Daniels is just pushed into touch inside their 22.
65min- TRY EALING TRAILFINDERS- Another great rolling maul sees Jan-Henning Campher crash over. Shingler converts again from the touchline.
EALING TRAILFIDNERS 28-12 ZEBRE PARMA
64min- A HUGE penalty at the scrum! We kick to touch and are 5m out.
63min- Zebre are keeping the ball well but are just going side to side. Eventually they knock on. Our scrum inside their half.
61min- A strong kick in behind and an equally strong chase sees us win this kicking battle. Our line-out just inside their half.
60min- Just as Zebre looked to be taking momentum, we managed to force the choke tackle and it’ll be our put in on our 22.
57min- A clever kick in behind just rolls one rotation to much. It goes over the dead ball line with Jonah Holmes and Angus Kernohan almost scoring.
56min- Another great defensive set forces Zebre to kick away. The pressure is to much and the clearance is out on the full. Our line out 30m out.
53min- TRY EALING TRAILFINDERS- An immense rolling maul sees us march 15m up field. Rayn Smid breaks off the back before feeding back inside to Bobby De Wee! Shingler gets the extras.
EALING TRAILFIDNERS 21-12 ZEBRE PARMA
51min- A strong defensive set sees Zebre throw it forward again. Their scrum half infringes at the base of the scrum and we’ll kick to the corner.
49min- TRY ZEBRE PARMA- Off the back of their line out they slowly muscle closer and closer. A good running line puts them inches away and eventually they bundle over. Extras are added.
EALING TRAILFIDNERS 14-12 ZEBRE PARMA
46min- A good break by Zebre sees them get close to our line. They win the penalty and have a line out 5m out.
43min- TRY EALING TRAILFINDERS- A great move off the line out sees Hampson released. He frees Luke Daniels who gets over in the corner. Willis adds the extras from the touchline.
EALING TRAILFIDNERS 14-5 ZEBRE PARMA
42min- We win the penalty and kick to the corner.
41min- As Zebre look to throw the ball about a bit more, it just sails forward and we’ll have the put in.
40min- After a strong first carry from the hosts, we recover well and win the penalty from the breakdown.
40min- And we’re back underway for the second half!
HALF TIME: EALING TRAILFINDERS 7-5 ZEBRE PARMA
40min- A great break by Hampson on the stroke of half-time sees him get up to the 22, but he’s isolated and Zebre win the penalty. They kick to touch and that’ the first 40.
39min- Knock on by Zebre in the midfield and now it’s our scrum just inside our half.
38min- We complete the clearance as we win the free kick and manage to clear to touch.
37min- A huge effort! We win it against the head and now it’s our put in, 5m out
36min- Several reset scrums here as both sides are looking to get on top.
33min- A huge 5 minute defensive set sees us hold out Zebre, but in doing so the visitors win a penalty
28min- TRY EALING TRAILFINDERS- A great rolling maul sees us come within 5m of the line. We’re forced to use it and Hampson dives over from 5m out. Willis gets the extras and we take the lead.
EALING TRAILFINDERS 7-5 ZEBRE PARMA
26min- A tackle off the ball in the midfield sees us kick to touch and we’re now 10m out with the throw.
25min- The visitors look to throw it wide but good defence in the midfield forces the error as the pass goes straight to touch
22min- TRY ZEBRE PARMA– After a big overlap, the visitors are in in the corner for the game’s first score. Conversion is missed.
EALING TRAILFINDERS 0-5 ZEBRE PARMA
20min- The visitors win a penalty in midfield and are now 5m out.
18min- We looked like we were about to crash over from the rolling maul, but the referee calls us back for a knock on.
16min- We get the choke tackle and then win the penalty from the scrum.
15min- We’re back underway after our first water break. The visitors have a line out on halfway.
12min- A huge defensive set on our line sees us win the turnover just as it looks like Zebre were going to get the opener.
11min- We’re judged to have infringed on a scrum inside their half and Zebre will kick to touch.
6min- A big defensive set sees us win the penalty for holding on. Craig Willis finds touch well and it’ll be our throw.
5min- We get it away and Craig Hampson goes for a deep kick to touch that just goes out on the full. Zebre line-out just inside our half.
4min- A strong first scrum sees us win the free kick. We opt to scrum again!
3min- An exhausting first passage of play finally comes to an end with a Zebre Parma knock on just inside our half.
KICK OFF – And we’re underway here at Trailfinders Sports Club
© 2025 EALING RUGBY CLUB IS A TRADING NAME OF THE EALING FOOTBALL CLUB (RUGBY UNION) LIMITED WHICH IS INCORPORATED WITH LIMITED LIABILITY UNDER THE INDUSTRIAL AND PROVIDENT SOCIETIES ACT 1965 UNDER NO. 30274R.