Ealing Trailfinders vs Nottingham

Match Report

Ealing Trailfinders moved into third place in the Greene King IPA Championship after a clinical performance against a Nottingham side that featured two former players in wings James Stephenson and Billy Robinson.

Ben Ward’s team will need to wait for the result of Doncaster Knight and Yorkshire Carnegie on Sunday to find out if they will stay third by the end of the weekend, but the win did to keep them at arm’s-length from the pursuing pack led by Cornish Pirates and Jersey Reds.

The scoring started early when Ealing Trailfinders’ pack won a penalty try. Rory Clegg added the conversion and then knocked over a penalty.

Lewis Jones then extended the lead further when he popped up on Joe Munro’s shoulder to run in between the posts.

Nottingham didn’t sit back and after their pack had tried their luck with a number of driving mauls, they eventually scored a penalty-try of their own.

Despite the set-back Ealing Trailfinders responded in emphatic fashion. Will Harries scored the third after linking with Clegg and Lewis Jones in midfield and then the fullback put Miles Mantella away for his first with a simple one on one.

Mark Bright and Kieran Murphy were leading the charge with powerful runs in midfield. At the line-out Llewelyn Jones and Glen Townson were taking great pleasure in disrupting Nottingham’s line-out, then when the ball went to the backs Clegg had time and space to pick out the numerous runners outside him.

Lewis Jones scored a fifth try when he swooped on a dropped pass, but Nottingham had the final word of the half when number 8 Shane Buckley took a tapped free-kick and powered over.

Nottingham continued to attack after the break and used the tail-wind to their advantage. However, it was Ealing Trailfinders who extended the league when Mantella scored his second.

It set the hosts up to take the match by the scruff of the neck. As the clock ran down Josh Davies rounded off a swift counter-attack and then with only two minutes left Munro crashed over from close range against his former club.

Scorers
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Penalty 3, Lewis Jones 12, 31 Harries 22, Mantella 26, 48, Davies 71, Munro 78), Conversions (Clegg 3, 12, 22, 26, 31, 48, Penberthy 71, 78), Penalties (Clegg 6)
Nottingham
Tries (Penalty 16, Buckley 38), Conversions (Eden 16)

Ealing Trailfinders
Will Harries, Miles Mantella, Lewis Jones, Joe Munro, James Cordy-Redden, Rory Clegg, Luke Carter; Will Davis, Alun Walker, Lewis Thiede, Glen Townson, Llewelyn Jones, Kieran Murphy, Rayn Smid, Mark Bright (captain)
Reserves
Matt Cornish, James Gibbons, Alex Penny, Barney Maddison, Arthur Ellis, Josh Davies, Aaron Penberthy

Nottingham
Will Millett, Billy Robinson, Oli Evans, Vili Hakalo, James Stephenson, Tiff Eden, Darryl Veenendaal, Owen Hills, Jimmy Stevens, Ben Hooper, Tom Holmes, Ben Morris, Jordan Coghlan, Matt Everard (Captain), Shane Buckley
Reserves
TJ Harris, Will Stuart, Tom West, Toby Freeman, Josh Poullet, Murray McConnell, Alex Goble

Referee – Matthew O’Grady
Attendance – 682
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