Updated 15th May
Simon UZOKWE (7) of Ealing Trailfinders is awarded the Man of the Match after the Greene King IPA Championship match between Ealing Trailfinders and Richmond at Castle Bar , West Ealing , England on 2 April 2022. Photo by David HornThe biggest rivalries bring out the biggest occasions, and a Championship Rugby finale between Ealing Trailfinders and Richmond with the men in green and white looking to lift their first Championship title, was the perfect latest instalment in this local clash.
Trailfinders went into the game knowing that a win or bonus-point draw would see them crowned champions, and the home side got off to the perfect start winning a penalty from the scrum at Richmond’s 10 metre. Willis kicked to the corner and the forward did the rest of the work with Simon Uzokwe firing his way over.
Moments later another strong scrum from Trailfinders saw Richmond once again penalised, a dominant opening few minutes for the men of Vallis Way.
Penalty after penalty came for the home side and midway through the first half Uzokwe would power his way over the line to score his second of the tie.
The start of the game was just what Trailfinders would have been looking for, showing great physicality to fire out of the blocks.
23 minutes on the clock and the third try was up for the home side, with a scrum at Richmond’s 5 metre, Craig Hampson with the show and go glided over the try line to score.
You’d think the Trailfinders might stop to take a breath, but just a matter of minutes later link play between Luke Daniels and Max Bodilly saw the Cornishman skip over for the bonus-point score.
Richmond weren’t going to go down without a fight though as at the half an hour mark club Captain and former Trailfinders Mark Bright scored on his 201st Championship appearance for his side’s first points of the afternoon.
It was a fifth by half-time with a great break by George Davis saw the ball recycled back for Rayn Smid to dot down for his sixteenth try of the campaign.
Half-Time Ealing Trailfinders 29 – Richmond 5
5 minutes into the second half and Trailfinders were back to their firing ways, Hampson feeding in Bodilly for his fifth try of the season.
Another forced error ten minutes later saw replacement Steven Shingler able to put the forwards in a great position to add to their lead, the line out running smoothly the ball was offloaded to Uzokwe completing his hat-trick mid-way through the second half.
With just over 10 minutes left on the clock, Trailfinders were once again deep inside the Richmond half. Great hands across the backline say Luke Daniels fed in on the wing after a lovely tip on by David Johnston to score.
There was still time for another score when another stripped ball saw the men in green and white go on the rampage once again, great handling from replacement Jack Digby saw Reuben Bird-Tulloch go through, being tackled he offloaded for Angus Kernohan to scoop up the ball and score.
Kernohan was soon at the double just moments later, once again put into space in the corner beating his man to dot down.
Richmond would have the last say, but it was to be only a consolation as their rolling maul finally got them their second of the game.
Full Time Ealing Trailfinders 60 – Richmond 10
A result that will go down in the Ealing Trailfinders history books, victory today meaning that the club lifted it’s first ever Championship Rugby trophy. A momentus moment for all involved with the club, we can’t thank you enough for your fantastic support.
Ealing Trailfinders
Starting XV –
1 Kyle Whyte
2 Jan-Henning Campher
3 George Davis
4 Bobby de Wee
5 James Cannon
6 Max Northcote-Green
7 Simon Uzokwe
8 Rayn Smid
9 Craig Hampson
10 Craig Willis
11 Luke Daniels
12 Pat Howard
13 Max Bodilly
14 Angus Kernohan
15 David Johnston
Replacements –
16 Cam Terry
17 Dylan Smith
18 Harry Seward
19 Simon Linsell
20 Jack Digby
21 Jordan Burns
22 Steven Shingler
23 Reuben Bird-Tulloch
Richmond
Startin XV:
1. Jonny Harris
2. James Hadfield
3. Jimmy Litchfield
4. Henri Williams
5. Will Carrick Smith
6. Huw Worthington
7. Jared Cardew
8. Mark Bright (C)
9. Callum Watson
10. Ted Landray
11. Jake Caddy
12. Ronnie Mclean
13. Craig Duncan
14. Alex Goble
15. Will Kaye
Replacements :
16. Callum Torpey
17. Luke Spring
18. Ntinga Mpiko
19. Sam Collingridge
20. Ethan Benson
21: Alex Crocker
22: Monty Bradbury
23. Owain James
Cornish Pirates were in town for the rescheduled Championship Rugby Round 14 clash on Saturday afternoon, a game which would see second place face third with just two games of the season remaining.
Both sides went into the game knowing that winning both remaining games would see them crowned champions.
The game started in an expected fast fashion, with both sides looking to make their mark early on; Trailfinders were applying pressure just moments into the game; however, a turnover by Pirates winning the ball at the breakdown, allowed them to clear to touch and relieve pressure inside their half.
The pressure continued to come though, and before they knew it, a penalty was won by the home side as the ball was knocked forwards by Pirates at their 10 metre. Craig Willis decided to go for the posts looking for points and was successful with his kick to take an early lead.
A quarter of an hour down, and Trailfinders would have their first score of the game, after Craig Hampson managed to find space, racing away in a two on one. He went onto feed in Bobby de Wee, who raced home to score the first try of the afternoon. Willis adding the extras through the boot.
Just moments later, a big scrum by the Trailfinders pack, after Pirates had won a scrum just inside the Trailfinders half, saw Willis kicked to touch from the penalty, deep inside the Pirates 22; after some forceful work by the forwards, Craig Hampson picked up the ball with some more great footwork to weave his way through the Pirates defence to dot down.
Midway through the half, the men in green and white would extend their lead once again. As the forwards went through the phases, the ball was worked back to Willis, who sent a looping pass over to Max Bodilly, who in acres of space sprints home to score.
Just over half an hour was on the clock, and the bonus point was secured. Another well-worked move saw Jan-Henning Campher put through; bouncing off his tackler, he powered his way over the try line. Willis making it five from five with the boot.
In what was a forceful first-half display by Trailfinders, Pirates looked shellshocked but did however manage to get points of their own on the board, when in the last play of the half made the most of a loose ball they won a penalty. Kicking to the corner the forwards did the rest and the rolling maul saw Tom Channon over the line.
Half-Time Ealing Trailfinders 31 – Cornish Pirates 7
Another half in the sunshine lay in wait as Pirates kick-off was spilt forward by Trailfinders. Pirates had earnt a scrum just inside Trailfinders 22, and after going through the phases to make it inside Trailfinders 5 metre, they worked the ball wide as Robin Wedlake was found in space on the wing to dot down.
Trailfinders would halt the attack moments later, Craig Willis knocking over a penalty after he won the advantage at the breakdown.
Moments later, and it was Willis who would prove a key cog in the Trailfinders wheel once again, as looking to open the field he launched the ball over to Angus Kernohan who rode his tackler to get over the line.
Late Pirates tries from Syd Blackmore and Carwyn Penny gave the away side hope; however another late penalty from Craig Willis was to all but killed the game.
The final moments were made up of almost moments for both sides, but in the end, it would be Ealing Trailfinders who took the win, in a key fixture in their campaign.
Full-Time Ealing Trailfinders 44 – Cornish Pirates 24
Ealing Trailfinders
Starting XV –
1 Kyle Whyte – West London Fitness
2 Jan-Henning Campher – Ikon Dental
3 Lewis Thiede – Ebstone Kitchens
4 Bobby de Wee – Harrison’s Deli
5 James Cannon – Colin Bibra
6 Max Northcote-Green – Lords Builders Merchant
7 Simon Uzokwe – Higgins Mechanical Services
8 Rayn Smid – The Green Army
9 Craig Hampson – Nabarro Chartered Accountants
10 Craig Willis – G & D Higgins
12 Pat Howard – Arnold Hill
13 Max Bodilly – The Brewer Family
11 Luke Daniels – 1 Ugly Crazy Robot
14 Angus Kernohan – Col’s Corner
15 David Johnston – Michael Jackson
Replacements –
16 Cam Terry
17 Dylan Smith – Ikon Dental
18 George Davis – The Turmeric Co
19 Barney Maddison
20 Simon Linsell – Geoff and the back row
21 Jordan Burns – Rhidian Jones
22 Steven Shingler
23 Jack Digby
Cornish Pirates –
Starting XV –
1 Marlen Walker
2 Tom Channon
3 Alfie Petch
4 Josh Caulfield
5 Danny Cutmore
6 Matt Bolwell
7 Antonio Kiri Kiri
8 Tom Duncan ©
9 Alex Schwarz
10 Arwel Robson
11 AJ Cant
12 Joe Elderkin
13 Tommy Wyatt
14 Robin Wedlake
15 Carwyn Penny
Replacements –
16 Syd Blackmore
17 Jack Andrew
18 Sam Rodman
19 Corey Teague
20 Will Gibson
21 Tom Kessell
22 Shae Tucker
23 Callum Sirker
Ealing Trailfinders travelled up the M1 on Saturday afternoon to face Ampthill in Round 20 of the Championship Rugby season.
Looking to keep pressure on Doncaster Knights, who lead the league, the West Londoners made the trip looking to make it six wins on the bounce away from home.
It was the perfect start for Ben Ward’s men, as with just 4 minutes on the clock, early pressure saw Trailfinders within the Ampthill danger zone. Multiple phases later from the pack and the ball was worked out wide, finding Angus Kernohan, who would skip over the try line for the first score of the tie. Craig Willis adding the extras with the boot.
The title-chasers were in hot pursuit of continuing their fine away form, and midway through the half, their lead was doubled. With the Trailfinders pack looking to maul their way towards the try line, Ampthill’s Jac Arthur came in and took down the maul illegally. The referee has only one decision in mind, as he awarded a penalty try and sent Arthur to the sin bin.
Fourteen points to the good, things had started just the way Trailfinders would have wanted, but Ampthill were fighting hard to stay in every battle. In an end to end second period in the first half, both sides were guilty of making mistakes which caused them to lose great attacking opportunities.
Ampthill keeping up the pressure, would finally hit back before the break, making the most of a penalty; their lineout worked efficiently, seeing hooker Theo Dan dot down.
Half-Time Ampthill 5 – Ealing Trailfinders 14
Coming out after the break, another fast start saw Trailfinders adding points to the scoreboard once again. Another fine piece of work by the forwards got the travelling side within Ampthill’s 5 metre. This time it was Simon Uzokwe who would apply the finishing touch to extend his side’s lead.
Midway through the second half, the bonus point was secured when more powerful phases saw Craig Willis go close, when he looked to make a break through the Ampthill defence. The ball was then quickly recycled by Craig Hampson, who would feed the ball to Rayn Smid, firing his way over the try line.
The icing was well and truly put on the cake when with a quarter of an hour left on the clock, Kernohan was in for his second of the game. Quick hands seeing him put in on the right wing once again, diving down to score in the corner. Willis making it four from four from the tee.
All that was left with moments in the game was for replacement Steven Shingler to slot home a penalty after Ampthill were penalised just outside of their 5 metre.
Another impressive win on the road for the Trailfinders, as they look forward to a mouth-watering clash against Cornish Pirates in two weeks time.
Full Time Ampthill 5 – Ealing Trailfinders 38
Ampthill starting XV
1. Jamie Jack
2. Theo Dan
3. Aleki Lutui
4. Charlie Beckett ©
5. Cai Devine
6. Jac Arthur
7. Josh Smart
8. Ollie Stonham
9. Lewis Finlay
10. Jack Bergin
11. Josh Skelcey
12. Jordan Venter
13. Charlie Hudson
14. Josh Gillespie
15. Joe Goodchild
Replacements:
16. Jack Dickinson
17. Arthur Cordwell
18. Rob Hardwick
19. Matt Wilkinson
20. Paddy Ryan
21. Gavin Williams
22. Russell Bennett
23. Tom Hudson
Ealing Trailfinders Starting XV –
1 Kyle Whyte
2 Jan-Henning Campher
3 Lewis Thiede
4 Bobby de Wee
5 James Cannon
6 Max Northcote-Green
7 Simon Uzokwe
8 Rayn Smid
9 Craig Hampson
10 Craig Willis
11 Luke Daniels
12 Pat Howard
13 Max Bodilly
14 Angus Kernohan
15 David Johnston
Replacements –
16 Cam Terry
17 Dylan Smith
18 George Davis
19 Barney Maddison
20 Simon Linsell
21 Jordan Burns
22 Steven Shingler
23 Jack Digby
Ealing Trailfinders made the short trip south to The Rag on Saturday afternoon to face London Scottish in their rescheduled Championship Rugby West London derby.
Looking to bounce back from defeat last week, the men in green and white were aiming to come out firing and gain precious points on the road, as the club look to push for the Championship title with just four games remaining.
It was the home side that enjoyed possession for the opening spell; however just a couple of minutes into proceedings, Simon Linsell was on hand to block an attempted grubber by the Scottish attack. The ball would see Luke Daniels collect, shrugging off his tackler; he broke free to score, fly-half Craig Willis adding the extras.
Just five minutes later, Trailfinders worked the ball well inside Scottish’s 22 with a group of dominant forward carries, being brought down 5 metres out; a loose ball was then picked up by Bobby de Wee, who looped an offload onto the wing where Rayn Smid was found, beating one man and taken down by the other, he showed great physicality to reach over the line and dot down. Before they knew it, an early lead opened up for the Trailfinders in a must-win game.
Scottish looked to bounce back shortly after, showing some initiative with a clever chip and go, which saw their attack pin Trailfinders inside their own 22. The subsequent line out was to lead to nothing, though, as Trailfinders defence would win a penalty at the breakdown through de Wee.
Less than 15 minutes on the clock, and it was a third for Trailfinders and a second of the afternoon for Daniels. Another powerful line break by Smid saw the ball offloaded, Craig Hampson picking up the pass only to feed in Daniels, who unopposed dotted down between the sticks once again.
It was just the start that Trailfinders were looking for, and within half an hour, the bonus point was secured. The ball worked from byline to byline, leading to a line break; this time by de Wee. The ball was then spun back to Max Bodilly, who would feed in Pat Howard in space on the wing to dot down for the bonus-point score.
Scottish had put up a real fight; however, another penalty conceded at the scrum saw the men in green and white run in once again before the break. A powerful first-half performance rewarded as a rolling maul from the line out after a won scrum at the halfway saw Smid dotting down for the second time in the tie, after the backs came in to drive the pack over the whitewash.
Half-Time London Scottish 0 – Ealing Trailfinders 29
Looking to start the second half where they left off, Trailfinders stripped the ball from Scottish hands at the halfway line; working play out to the wing saw Bodilly once again make metres well into the Scottish half. Phases later, a well-sold dummy by Craig Willis saw him just metres away from the try line before offloading to Lewis Thiede, who, whilst being tackled, found David Johnston free to fight his way over and score the travelling sides sixth of the game.
In what was becoming a full force Trailfinders performance, hard work once again by the Trailfinders forwards saw Simon Linsell fire his way over and dot down.
Scottish showed early attacking promise, but the game was all Trailfinders, and after only being on the pitch for a matter of minutes, Jordan Burns scored his first try of the afternoon. In an attempted snipe around the ruck, he was held up in the tackle by the feisty London Scottish defence. It wasn’t until his teammates arrived that they managed to force him over the line, bringing an immediate impact to his arrival.
Midway through the second half, Smid was to go over for his Hat-Trick. Another well-worked line out saw the attack go through the phases before another dominant carry by the eight saw his score once again.
Moments later, Ealing Trailfinders turned the ball over once again, while London Scottish were on the attack in Trailfinders 22. Jordan Burns spotted a gap down the blindside and showed blistering pace to break free. The covering defence tried to stop him, but he stepped around their backtracking full-back and dived over the line.
As we moved into the final quarter of the game, Angus Kernohan found space down the righthand side and chipped the ball over the full-back and regathered but was brought down just 5 metres out. The ball was then worked all the way out to the left, where Simon Linsell was waiting for a straightforward run-in.
The clock was running out, but Trailfinders still had time for more action, Burns snipping once again; this time, he was tackled but managed to offload to a supporting Will Davis, who crashed over the try line to score.
The final try of the afternoon saw Linsell complete his hat-trick. Will Davis breaking through the first line of defence, popping it up to Linsell, who cantered in for his third, sealing a comprehensive away victory for Ealing Trailfinders.
Full Time London Scottish 0 – Ealing Trailfinders 81
London Scottish Starting XV
1. Jake Elwood
2. Alex Gibson
3. Kieran Verden
4. Tom Baldwin (c)
5. Edoardo Balocco
6. David Halaifonua
7. Jack Ingall
8. Viliami Taulani
9. Ed Hoadley
10. Dan Nutton
11. Noah Ferdinand
12. Sam Hanks
13. Hayden Hyde
14. Levi Davis
15. Leo Fielding
Replacements –
16. Tom Petty
17. Curtis Reynolds
18. Sam Gratton
19. Ehize Ehizode
20. Fred Tuilagi
21. Morgan Dawes
22. Laurence May
23. Darren Atkins
Ealing Trailfinders Starting XV
1. Kyle Whyte
2. Jan-Henning Campher
3. Lewis Thiede
4. Bobby de Wee
5. James Cannon
6. Simon Linsell
7. Max Northcote-Green
8. Rayn Smid
9. Craig Hampson
10. Craig Willis
11. Luke Daniels
12. Pat Howard
13. Max Bodilly
14. Angus Kernohan
15. David Johnston
Replacements –
16. Shaun Malton
17. Will Davis
18. George Davis
19. Barney Maddison
20. Len Massyn
21. Jordan Burns
22. Steven Shingler
23. Reuben Bird-Tulloch
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