Jonah Holmes crossed for a brace as Ealing Trailfinders powered to a 21-41 win over Nottingham at Lady Bay.

The league leaders scored seven tries to Nottingham’s three to romp to an impressive 20 point victory and maintain their six point lead at the top of the Championship table.

Trailfinders arrived at Lady Bay with plenty of confidence following last Saturday’s 66-0 win over London Scottish, but it was the hosts who took the early lead. Nottingham gained possession near their own try-line and spread the ball wide to winger Jordan Olowofela who broke through the Trailfinders defence to charge up the pitch and score. The try was converted and Nottingham led 7-0 after four minutes.

Nottingham’s early dominance only lasted three minutes. Prop Dan Richardson was shown a yellow card and the West Londoners took full advantage, passing quickly to fly-half Craig Willis who dotted down in the corner.

With the Trailfinders pack starting to build their dominance and with the backs finding their attacking flair (despite the muddy conditions), fullback Jonah Holmes collected a neat grubber kick to power over and score near the sticks. Willis added the extras and the visitors were out to a 7-12 lead after 20 minutes.

Five minutes later and it was extended to 7-19. Centre Max Bodilly charged down the Nottingham kick to collect possession and cross for Trailfinders’ third try. Willis converted and the visitors were starting to build momentum.

With the clock ticking over 30 minutes, Trailfinders set up for the attacking lineout. The forwards won possession and formed a formidable driving maul. The maul drove powerfully towards the Nottingham line with experienced hooker Alun Walker bulldozing his way over to extend Trailfinders’ lead to 7-24.

With the bonus point secured, Ealing Trailfinders were determined to maintain their dominance in the second 40. They shot out of the blocks quickly, working the ball into Nottingham territory before a fast break and neat pass saw prop Kyle Whyte stride in from 15 metres.

Facing an ever increasing margin, Nottingham showed their resilience hitting the scoreboard just four minutes later. Fly-half Sam Hollingsworth fired an impressive cross-field kick to winger Ryan Olowofela who collected the ball to dot down in the corner. Hollingsworth converted and the score was cut to 14-29.

With both sides looking to gain control in the middle phases of the second half, it took another 15 minutes before the next score. Trailfinders built attacking momentum before a lovely wide move saw Holmes slice through the Nottingham defence and cross for his second of the match. Willis slotted the conversion and the West Londoners were out to a 14-36 lead.

 

Ten minutes later and Nottingham reduced the deficit, adding their third try with a well worked score in the far corner. Hollingsworth converted to reduce the deficit to 21-36.

But with the clock ticking towards the red, it was Trailfinders who had the last laugh. With five minutes to go, replacement flanker Simon Uzokwe powered his way over to extend the lead to 21-41 and secure an impressive bonus point victory.

Tickets are on sale for next Saturday’s Championship fixture against Cornish Pirates at Trailfinders Sports Club (KO 3pm). Click here to purchase tickets. To book our delicious pre-match hospitality email: hospitality@etprm.com.

Full-time Score: Nottingham 21-41 Ealing Trailfinders

T: Willis 8′, Holmes 19′, 61′, Bodilly 25′, Walker 31′, Whyte 42′, Uzokwe 75′

C: Willis 19′, 25′, 62′

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A James Cordy-Redden hat-trick helped Ealing Trailfinders secure a dominant 66-0 victory over London Scottish.

It was the second week in a row that the Trailfinders nilled their opposition, as they stretched their lead at the top of the Championship to six points.

The hosts came out of the blocks fast, securing the bonus point within the first 40 minutes.

However, it was the second half where they really stretched their legs, scoring six tries to claim their second London derby win in as many weeks.

It took only four minutes for the hosts to score, with Reuben Bird-Tulloch dotting down after a great break from Jonah Holmes.

Ten minutes later, Kyle Whyte got over from close range, before Cordy-Redden then got his first after being on the end of an overlap.

After all this West-London pressure, Scottish then had their first trip into the hosts’ 22, but an error at the maul meant it came to nothing.

Just before the 35 minute mark, Alun Walker and the Trailfinders pack showed how to execute a rolling maul, as they secured the bonus point from five metres out.

The ‘Green and Whites’ were unable to add another in the first half, but it didn’t take them long to do so in the second, as Walker claimed his brace on the 42nd minute, again on the back of a maul.

On the 50 minute mark, Holmes got on the end of a Max Bodilly kick in behind after Kyle Whyte had stripped the Scots in the midfield. Then five minutes later Simon Uzokwe bundled over after just coming onto the pitch. Craig Willis added the extras to ensure he stayed at 100%, slotting seven from seven.

As both sides rung the changes, there was a slight interruption in the momentum, but this only lasted 10 minutes until Trailfinders were over again. Jordan Burns spotted space on the blindside and found Bird-Tulloch. The centre superbly stood up his defender, giving Cian Kelleher the half-metre he needed to score.

The final ten minutes only saw two more tries, both going to Cordy-Redden. The first saw the Player of the Month picking off an intercept after some strong defence from the rest of the side. He then completed his hat-trick by getting on the end of a beautiful team move as he scored in the corner, making the full-time score Ealing Trailfinders 66-0 London Scottish.

After the game, victorious Director of Rugby Ben Ward said: “We’re delighted with that performance. It’s always great to score ten tries, but I think we’re most pleased to stop our opponents scoring for the second week in a row!”

The Bread Street Café Player of the Match was awarded to Kyle Whyte.

Click here to watch Ben Ward’s and James Cordy-Redden’s post-match interview.

Tickets are now on sale for our next home fixture against Cornish Pirates on Saturday 25th March at Trailfinders Sports Club (KO 3pm). Click here to purchase tickets. To book our delicious pre-match hospitality email: hospitality@etprm.com.

Full-time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 66-0 London Scottish

T: Bird-Tulloch 4′, Whyte 15′, Cordy-Redden 21′, 68′, 78′, Walker 32′, 42′, Holmes 49′, Uzokwe 55′, Kelleher 64′

C: Willis 4, 15′, 21′, 32′, 42′, 49′, 55′, Lancaster 69′

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Ealing Trailfinders returned to league action in the best possible fashion, with a dominant 0-50 victory over Richmond.

James Cordy-Redden secured a brace, with Craig Hampson and Jonah Holmes also on the end of impressive scores as the Trailfinders ran in eight tries down at the Athletic Ground.

As the game got underway in the London derby, the green and whites didn’t take long to get on the scoreboard. Constant pressure allowed Andrew Davidson to find a soft shoulder as he burst through the defensive line, before running over the final defender to dot down inside five minutes.

Just two minutes later the visitors were in again, this time through their scrum-half. Some quick ball off a regathered kick allowed Jack Digby to gallop through a hole in the Richmond defence. The number 8 selflessly drew the final man, before releasing Hampson to score.

After early dominance, the next 20 minutes saw the hosts in the ascendancy, camped five metres out from the Trailfinders line. Despite this content pressure, the green and white wall stood firm and eventually they were able to clear without the scoreboard being altered.

Having been starved attacking ball, the next time Trailfinders got an opportunity, they made it count. Off the line-out the ball was flung wide, as Holmes accelerated down the touchline before fending off the final defender to score in the corner.

Then on the half-hour mark, the West-Londoners had wrapped up the bonus point. A similar set up saw the ball go wide, but this time to Cordy-Redden. Instead of pinning his ears back like Holmes, the winger cut inside, beating four defenders, to impressively muscle his way over to make the scores 0-26, and it stayed this way until half-time.

The second 40 got underway in a very similar fashion to the first with it taking just eight minutes for Alun Walker to barge over for his fifth try in the last four games on the back of a powerful rolling maul.

Just after the 50 minute mark Trailfinders were down to 14 for ten minutes after James Gibbons was shown a yellow card for a cynical penalty near his own line. Despite this, the visitors still refused to concede and then on 60 minutes they went over for their sixth try after Shaun Malton made a delightful break through the middle before offloading to Simon Linsell to score.

Back to a full compliment, Trailfinders looked to close the game out without conceding. The easiest way to do this was to keep attacking, and with 10 minutes remaining Cordy-Redden got his second after a tap penalty in the midfield drew in the defence allowing the winger a 1-on-1 out wide which was all he needed.

Then, with the clock almost in the red, Luke Daniels found himself in space on the wing. With two defenders in front of him, he bumped off the first tackler before out-pacing the second to bring up the half century for the visitors and cap off arguably their best performance of 2023 so far.

Tickets are now on sale for our next home fixture against London Scottish on Saturday 11th March at Trailfinders Sports Club (KO 3pm). Click here to purchase tickets. To book our delicious pre-match hospitality email: hospitality@etprm.com.

Full-time Score: Richmond 00-50 Ealing Trailfinders

T: Davidson 5′, Hampson 7′, Holmes 25′, Cordy-Redden 30′, 70′, Walker 48′, Linsell 60′, Daniels 80′

C: Willis 5′, 8′, 31′, 48′, 61’\

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Ealing Trailfinders fell to their first home defeat of the season, as a strong second half performance from Coventry saw the visitors pull off a 19-22 victory.

It was a game that started quickly, with Coventry going on the attack immediately and Pat Pellegrini slotting an early penalty inside the first three minutes.

This early score fired the Trailfinders into life as pressure was able to force a scrum and then from there they were able to win a penalty. A kick to the corner saw the rolling maul set up and although it was illegally stopped, Carlo Tizzano was able to crash over from the subsequent phases. Craig Willis added the extras and it was 7-3.

Both sides then took it turns to attack, with each defence just holding firm to prevent the opposition from crossing the line. This was until the 23rd minute when a powerful rolling maul allowed Tizzano to extend his lead at the top of the league’s try scoring charts. Willis converted to make it 14-3.

The next ten minutes saw three yellow cards, with Rob Farrar being binned for a high tackle, before Josh Bainbridge was penalised for illegally stopping a dominant Trailfinders’ rolling maul near his own line to make it 14 against 14. Then with five minutes to go in the first-half, Bobby De Wee was also shown a yellow for an illegal tackle.

With the half-time whistle approaching, Coventry went on the attack but were unable to get over. Half-time score: Ealing Trailfinders 14-3 Coventry.

After the break, Coventry started the second-half much like the first, quickly! Repeated penalties saw them gain field position, before Rhys Thomas crashed over on the 46 minute mark.

With all the momentum, the visitors went on the attack again and ten minutes later Thomas secured his brace after breaking off on the back of a rolling maul. The try edged Coventry in front 14-15 and they well and truly had their tails up.

With just under 20 minutes to go De Wee was shown a red card for a head-on-head collision and Trailfinders were facing an up hill battle until the end of the game.

With the extra man, replacement Lucas Titherington was able to score Coventry’s third try and as Pellegrini converted he extended their lead to two scores.

Despite being down in numbers and on the scoreboard, Trailfinders refused to give up. Quick and clinical play saw them slowly edge up the field and into the Coventry 22. After winning a penalty, Jordan Burns took it quickly and almost put Reuben Bird-Tulloch over, but although he was pulled down inches short, the ball was quickly spun out to Luke Daniels who dotted down in the corner to make it 19-22 with three minutes to go.

Sadly for the hosts, it was too little, too late as Coventry were able to close out the game.

The Bread Street Café Player of the Match was awarded to Steven Shingler.

Click here to watch Ben Ward’s post-match interview.

Tickets are now on sale for our Championship Cup fixture against Nottingham on Saturday 11th February at Trailfinders Sports Club (KO 3pm). Click here to purchase tickets. To book our delicious pre-match hospitality email: hospitality@etprm.com.

Full-time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 19-22 Coventry

T: Tizzano 9′, 23′, Daniels 77′

C: Willis 9′, 23′

A Simon Uzokwe brace helped Ealing Trailfinders to a 13-26 bonus point victory away at Hartpury.

It was a match that very nearly didn’t happen, with the main pitch frozen over, but Hartpury were able to move the game over to the next door 4G pitch to ensure it still went ahead.

Despite this, the conditions were still difficult to deal with, given the freezing temperatures and heavy fog. But a penalty try in between Uzokwe’s brace and a late Carlo Tizzano score ensured Trailfinders left Hartpury with five points.

When the game finally did get underway, it did not take long for Trailfinders to go on the attack. Ben Ward’s squad had several good opportunities in the first 10 minutes to get on the scoreboard, but lacked that killer edge to convert chances into points and Hartpury came out of the period unscathed.

Then on the quarter of an hour mark, Hartpury managed to score totally against the run of play. A simple missed tackle allowed Brad Denty to break clear, before the ball was popped inside to Matty Jones. The scrum-half ran in under the sticks and Tommy Mathews added the extras to make the score 7-0.

Despite this score, Trailfinders remained composed and built back into the game. The most effective way of doing this came via the scrum. It took 25 minutes for the visitors to get their first put-in, but from there Trailfinders didn’t look back, winning consistent scrum penalties for the rest of the afternoon.

From the first scrum penalty Ealing Trailfinders went to the corner and set up a rolling maul. Although it got disrupted, Trailfinders managed to recycle well and the ball found its way to Uzokwe who powered over from 10 metres out. Craig Willis added the conversion and the score was all tied up.

Hartpury added a penalty from Mathews to edge in front again, but Trailfinders answered straight back on the 35 minute mark. With a 10 metre line-out, Ealing Trailfinders set up a strong rolling maul that was moving forward at serious pace. With the try-line beckoning, Hartpury cynically entered from the side to pull it down and the referee was left with no choice but to award the penalty try and send the Hartpury player to the sin-bin.

Then on the stroke of half-time, Trailfinders were in again. Another dominant rolling maul crashed over with Uzokwe dotting down and Willis adding the conversion to make it 10-21 at the break.

With the hosts restored to a full compliment, they started the second-half the stronger of the two sides, attacking right from the outset and eventually settling for a penalty through Mathews on the 47 minute mark.

Although Hartpury would have liked to have kicked on from here, Trailfinders’ defence stood firm throughout the second 40 and were able to limit the hosts to just three points. This was partly due to the scrum which got Trailfinders out of trouble on the five metre line on several occasions.

With 15 minutes to go, the scrum was able to help Ealing Trailfinders set up the bonus point score, winning the penalty that saw the visitors go to the corner. Here Trailfinders launched a fierce attack and after several patient phases, quick ball allowed replacement Tizzano to further his lead at the top of the Championship try-scoring charts.

With the bonus point secured Trailfinders were able to see out the rest of the game, securing an important 13-26 victory.

After the game, Director of Rugby Ben Ward said: “I’m really pleased with that result, Hartpury are the form team in the league as they’ve won their last five, so we’re delighted to come here and get the five points.”

Tickets are selling fast for next Saturday’s Championship clash with Coventry at Trailfinders Sports Club (KO 3pm). Click here to purchase tickets.

Full-time Score: Hartpury 13-26 Ealing Trailfinders

T: Uzokwe 26’, 39’, Penalty Try 35’, Tizzano 67’

C: Willis 26’ 39’

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We got back to winning ways as we ran out 35-24 victors against a resilient Ampthill side at Trailfinders Sports Club this afternoon.

It was a game that we took a while to build into and credit has to go to the visitors for hanging in the fight and picking up a deserved try bonus point.

Amid some poor conditions, when the game got underway in West London, it took both teams some time to build into the encounter. It was on the ten minute mark that the deadlock was broken, as Ampthill’s Morgan Strong went over on the back of a rolling maul.

This score looked to have woken us up as we went on the attack immediately from the kick-off, but despite five minutes of constant pressure inside their 22, we were not able to get over.

This didn’t last long however, and just after the 20 minute mark, Jonah Holmes dotted down after a beautifully delayed pass from Craig Willis to put him under the sticks. Willis added the extras and the game was tied up.

From the restart The Mob answered straight back. Kyle Whyte was sent to the bin for repeated penalties and then Strong got over for his and Ampthill’s second score.

The final 15 minutes of the half saw constant pressure as the Trailfinders were roared on by the vocal home crowd. Repeated penalties saw us camped on the Ampthill five metre line and with the half-time whistle beckoning, a powerful rolling maul was illegally stopped and the referee went straight under the posts to award a penalty try.

Half-time score: Ealing Trailfinders 14-12 Ampthill.

After a great half-time display from the Ealing Trailfinders Cheerleaders, we came out of the blocks fast in the second 40. Early impetus saw a great break from Pat Howard as he made 30 metres and beat several defenders. With Ampthill struggling for numbers defensively, Conor Rankin rushed out the line and was able to grab the intercept and run 80 metres to put the visitors back in front.

It was a lead that again didn’t last long as another great rolling maul was stopped just short and we were able to quickly recycle to the short side as Jan-Henning Campher burst through the tacklers to retake the lead.

The next score came 10 minutes later and it was from a lovely break finished off with a considerable amount of luck. After strong play, Carlo Tizzano was put through a hole on the half-way line and raced clear. The league’s top try-scorer was pulled down meters from the line and looked to offload to Craig Hampson. His pass hit the scrum-half directly in the face and the ball bobbled over the try line before Hampson dotted down. As the ball going forward off someone’s head isn’t a knock-on, the referee conferred with his assistant referee given the rare nature of this try, before awarding the score. Craig Willis slotted the extras to ensure his 100% success rate from the boot.

With the game ticking into the final 20, Ben Harris scored Ampthill bonus point try to make the margin only four points. This meant the final quarter of an hour could have been a very nervy affair, but the dominance of our replacement props helped keep us on top. A penalty at the scrum gave us field position and then repeated infringements and a deliberate knock-on eventually saw Ampthill down to 14.

With the man advantage, we chose to go to a scrum five metres out. The power shown pushed Ampthill back at a rate of knots and after they cynically infringed, the referee had no choice but to run under the posts for another penalty try.

With a few minutes on the clock we were able to close out a hard fought 35-24 victory.

The Bread Street Café Player of the Match was awarded to Carlo Tizzano.

Tickets are now on sale for our next home fixture against Coventry on Saturday 28th January at Trailfinders Sports Club (KO 3pm). Click here to purchase tickets. To book our delicious pre-match hospitality email: hospitality@etprm.com.

Full-time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 35-24 Ampthill

T: Holmes 21′, Penalty Try 38′, 74′, Campher 47′, Hampson 55′

C: Willis 21′, 47′, 55′

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Ealing Trailfinders suffered their first defeat of the 2022/23 Championship season, going down 26-24 in a titanic battle at Paton Field.

In front of a big and vocal home crowd, Caldy crossed for their bonus point try in the final moment of the game to clinch an impressive victory and secure their third win of the season.

Ealing Trailfinders arrived at Paton Field confident and determined following their powerful 43-22 win over Jersey Reds on Christmas Eve, however on a tough, wet and slow pitch, the battle with Caldy was always going to be heated.

Up against a physical and large Caldy pack, the Trailfinders forwards hit the game with power, barging over the whitewash with a well executed driving maul in the 15th minute, Jan-Henning Campher the scorer. Craig Willis added his first kick of the afternoon and Ben Ward’s side led 0-7.

The match took a pivotal turn seven minutes later with Ealing Trailfinders tight-head Ross Kane red carded for a dangerous tackle in the ruck. Kane’s dismissal meant Trailfinders were down to 14 players for the next 58 minutes.

Needing to keep the scoreboard ticking over, Ealing Trailfinders were then awarded a penalty in front of the sticks. Willis stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty kick for the 0-10 lead.

With dark clouds forming over Paton Field, Trailfinders shot out of the blocks straight after the half-time break, with a swift wide pass to Reuben Bird-Tulloch who collected and ran in for an untouched try. Willis nailed the conversion and the visitors were 0-17 ahead.

The lead was only short lived with Caldy responding two minutes later, taking advantage of a loopy wide pass to intercept and cross for their first try. The conversion was successful and the score reduced to 7-17 with 35 minutes left to play.

Determined to remain on the front foot, Ealing Trailfinders hit back just three minutes later with their third try. Jan-Henning on the end of a powerful driving maul to score his second. Willis added the extras for the 7-24 lead.

Holding the 17 point advantage and with 30 minutes left on the clock, Trailfinders looked on track to secure their 11th win of the season, but Caldy were’t done yet and to their credit found a way to get themselves back in the match. Converted tries in the 57th and 65th minute reduced the deficit to just 21-24 with 15 minutes left on the clock.

Roared on by a boisterous home crowd, Caldy continued to throw everything at the Championship leaders. They worked their way into Trailfinders’ 22 on a number of occasions, before taking full advantage of a dramatic final three minutes.

First Luke Daniels was yellow carded in the 77th minute, before fullback Jonah Holmes also found himself in the sin-bin two minutes later. With Ealing Trailfinders reduced to 12 players and with one final attempt at the line, Caldy swung the ball swiftly wide, using the overlap to score in the corner and secure a famous comeback win. The conversion was missed but the home supporters could not care less.

Ealing Trailfinders picked up the losing bonus point to maintain a two point lead at the top of the Championship table. A special mention to flanker Ollie Newman who made his Ealing Trailfinders debut.

Full-time Score: Caldy 26-24 Ealing Trailfinders

T: Campher 15′, 48′, Bird-Tulloch 42′,

C: Willis 16′, 43′, 49′

P: Willis 29′

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Coming into the game it was a mouth-watering Christmas Eve match-up, as both sides were unbeaten in the league.

In-front of the biggest crowd of the season so far, the Trailfinders were able to put on a six-try spectacular, including a Craig Hampson brace, as they powered to victory.

After a great morning of build-up, with Christmas songs, snow machines and other festivities, the 1,500 strong crowd were ready to cheer on the two teams.

The atmosphere was palpable as the visitors kicked off, but it was Ealing Trailfinders who were able to strike the first blow. A lovely free flowing move, eventually saw Luke Daniels released down the left wing. He was able to offload inside to Reuben Bird-Tulloch and despite being tackled, he was able to power over. Craig Willis impressively added the extras from out-wide and Ealing were 7-0 up after three minutes.

This lead didn’t last long, as Jersey responded back immediately scoring in the opposite corner to make it 7-5 after seven minutes.

After a frantic start, both sides were then able to ease into the game but the Trailfinders still remained on top.

This was until the quarter of an hour mark. Camped 5m out Ealing looked like they were about to crash over, but Jersey’s Brendan Owen picked off an intercept. The fullback raced clear and looked for all money like he was destined to score but Jonah Holmes was able to track him down before winning the penalty in what was the best defensive moment of the afternoon!

Five minutes later, the hosts made no mistake as Bird-Tulloch’s superb miss pass found Cian Kelleher who was able to power past the final two defenders to score in the corner.

The Jersey line-out had been a real strength this season, but as the game went on Danny Cutmore and David O’Connor begun to become a nuisance for the visitors. A big steal just before the half an hour mark paid off and within minutes, Trailfinders were down the end scoring through Hampson after a great Holmes break. This made the score 19-5 with just ten minutes until the break.

Jersey were determined to limit this margin however, as James Dun scored with four minutes to go and then on the half-time whistle, Russell Bennet’s penalty sailed wide to make it Ealing Trailfinders 19-12 Jersey Reds at the break.

In the second 40 it was the visitors came out of the blocks the fastest, but they were unable to score. This momentum well and truly shifted when, with their first attack of the half, Ealing built the phases before Hampson sold the most outrageous dummy from close range and was able to get over for his second score of the game.

This was followed by a Craig Willis penalty five minutes later to make it 29-12 with 20 minutes to go.

A Jersey try briefly made the gap 12 points, but then came the moment of the afternoon. Hampson again managed to snipe around the base of the ruck, and made a great break. On a hat trick, he executed the perfect 2-on-1 to selflessly put Ross Kane in under the sticks for his first ever try in professional rugby!

A quick score back from Jersey gave them a try bonus-point, but Trailfinders quickly responded through Willis who was bundled over by his teammates before converting his own score.

Full-time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 43-22 Jersey Reds

T: Bird-Tulloch 3′, Kelleher 19′, Hampson 31′, 47′, Kane 65′, Willis 74′

C: Willis 3′, 31′, 47′, 65′, 74′

P: Willis 52′

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