Ealing Trailfinders rounded off their National 1 winning season in fine style with a five-try win against a lively and tricky Loughborough Students side.
The win ensured that Ben Ward’s side finish the season on 136 points from 27 victories and three defeats.
Once the officials managed to free themselves from their locked changing room both sides started with the intention of keeping the ball in hand and moving play wide when they could.
Tom Wheatcroft came close to grabbing an early try, but he knocked on close to the line. Two minutes later though his partner in the centre, Sam Wardingley opened the scoring when he collected his tricky grubber kick to run in from close range.
Luke Daniels stopped the Students from hitting back immediately when he held up Tom James over the line, but shortly after the scrumhalf put the hosts on the scoreboard when he knocked over a penalty. Two minutes later and the Students were ahead when number 8 Matthew Rogerson picked a strong line from a deft offload to run in a try.
Both teams tried to keep the ball alive, but as the heavens opened they were unable to put the seal on good build up play, most notably when Carwyn Jones knocked on with the line at his mercy.
Even so the visitors regained the lead before the half-hour mark when captain Tom Brown touched down after the pack had shunted their opposite numbers back from close range.
As Ealing Trailfinders increased their dominance, scrum-half Tom Parker showed a great turn of pace to turn defence into attack and with the visitors settled into the home half Karl Gibson showed nimble feet to dance over after the pack had driven their opposite numbers back.
After halftime Ealing Trailfinders went straight back on the attack and both sides played with pace and intensity.
Brown and Steve Pape epitomised the effort being put in by all the players with some powerful carries into the Loughborough defence and the hosts were forced into kicking deep that the back three of James Love, James Copsey and former Students stalwart Chris Kinloch were happy to run back.
It took some time for either team to add to the scoreline, but when it did it came through Ealing Trailfinders with the familiar route of a lineout win and Arthur Ellis driving over.
Steve Pape scored and identical try three minutes later, while Wheatcroft knocked both over to add the final gloss to a memorable season for the side from Vallis Way.
Scorers
Loughborough Students
Tries (Rogerson 17), Penalties (James 15)
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Wardingley 6, Brown 27, Gibson 34, Ellis 72, Pape 75), Conversions (Love 35, Wheatcroft 73, 76)
Loughborough Students
Will Edwards, Sam Pointon, Rhys Owen, Jack Wardle, Jonny Short, Jack Pons, Tom James; Will Roberts, Jacob Fields, Harry Elrington, Jake Albon, Ed Taylor, James Freeman (captain), Ben Pons, Matthew Rogerson,
Reserves
Pip Dickinson, George Davis, Gabriel Carroll, Josh Sharp, Jack Bradford.
Ealing Trailfinders
James Love, Chris Kinloch, Sam Wardingley, Tom Wheatcroft, Luke Daniels, Matt Jarvis, Tom Parker; Tom Smallbone, Karl Gibson, Alex Penny, Carwyn Jones, Mike Walker-Fitton, Anders Nilsson, Alex Bradley, Tom Brown (captain)
Reserves
Kevin Davis, Steve Neville, Steve Pape, Arthur Ellis, James Copsey
Ealing Trailfinders may have lost their unbeaten home record to an impressive Rosslyn Park side, but their losing bonus point and Park’s failure to claim all five points on offer ensured their return to the Greene King IPA Championship.
At fulltime captain Tom Brown lifted the National 1 trophy in front of a season’s best crowd of 2, 278.
Rosslyn Park demonstrated their intentions from the whistle when former Ealing Trailfinders flanker Sam Shires put in a fierce hit on captain Tom Brown. It set the early tone and soon after Brown teamed up with Arthur Ellis to stop a pick up from Park captain Hugo Ellis.
Park flyhalf Scott Sneddon opened the scoring when he landed a fourth-minute penalty and he then added a second before the 10-minute mark. It spurned the home team into action and while they raised the intensity they were unable to find a way through Park’s defence, who twice stopped catch and drive attempts.
Park centre Paul Mackey came close to scoring the first try when he broke the line, but Will Harries made a try-saving tackle. The visitors added to their lead soon after though when Sneddon knocked over his third penalty.
The hosts responded immediately though as Luke Daniels picked up a loose ball and sped past three defenders to score in the corner. A flowing move from a Harries counter-attack appeared set to earn Ealing Trailfinders their second try, but Phil Chesters knocked on.
Sneddon was back on the scoresheet in the 33rd minute with another penalty and he then set Mackey free with a deft off-load, but this time Alex Walker made the try-saving tackle.
Park maintained their pressure up to the halftime whistle and prop Alex Mackenzie dived over in the corner for a try that Sneddon had no problem converting.
After haltime Ealing Trailfinders were much improved and Daniels knocked over an early penalty. He then converted an Arthur Ellis try after the flanker burrowed over from close range.
As the clock ran down Ealing Trailfinders side raised the intensity again, but Park’s defence stood firm and meant that both teams were celebrating at the final whistle.
Scorers
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Daniels 25, Ellis 63), Conversions (Daniels 64), Penalties (Daniels 49)
Rosslyn Park
Tries (Mackenzie 39), Conversions (Sneddon 40), Penalties (Sneddon 4, 9, 24, 33)
Ealing Trailfinders
Will Harries, Luke Daniels, Sam Wardingley, Andy Reay, Phil Chesters, Matt Jarvis, Alex Walker; Tom Smallbone, Matt Thompson, Nathan Buck, Carwyn Jones, Llewelyn Jones, Anders Nilsson, Arthur Ellis, Tom Brown (captain)
Reserves
Kevin Davis, Alex Penny, Paul Spivey, David Lyons, Chris Kinloch
Rosslyn Park
Neville Edwards, Kiba Richards, Mark Ireland, Paul Mackey, Dave Vincent, Scott Sneddon, Luke Carter; Alex Lundberg, Adam Bellamy, Alex Mackenzie, Will Bowley, Rich Boyle, Mike Macfarlane, Sam Shires, Hugo Ellis (captain)
Reserves
Tom Woolstencroft, Aaron Liffchak, Tom Baldwin, Jack Gash, Max Northcote-Green
Referee – Fergus Kirby
STORM Watches Man of the Match – Tom Brown
Attendance – 2, 278
Ealing Trailfinders maintained their nine-point lead over Rosslyn Park at the top of National 1 with seven tries in a five-point victory away to their rivals from south-east London.
With Park enjoying a five-point win at home to Tynedale, it means that Ben Ward’s team will need to beat their south-west London rivals in their final home match next week to secure the National 1 title.
Captain Tom Brown’s catch and carry from kick off set the early tone. Will Harries then set Phil Chesters free down the left wing and was only stopped by a well-executed tackle from fullback Ryan Squires.
In their penultimate match of the season, Blackheath showed that they were in the mood to play. The on-loan Gordon Ross was pulling the strings from fly-half and from a pop pass centre Geoff Griffiths posted an early indication of their intentions when he showed strength and agility to break the Ealing Trailfinders line.
The first score came just past the quarter of an hour mark, with the now-familiar combination of a Llewelyn Jones lineout catch, a drive from the pack and Arthur Ellis dropping over the line.
Three minutes later Sam Wardingley raced in the second after Ward picked out Chris Kinloch with a cross-field kick and the Scotsman popped the ball up for Wardingley to enjoy a straightforward run in against his former side.
Two more tries quickly followed. First Nik Grier opened Blackheath’s scoring when he replicated Ellis’ score after George Oram rose highest at a lineout. Then Harries raced from his own 22 as Ealing Trailfinders hit back immediately.
The match settled back into a pattern as both teams maintained their attacking ambitions, but in both cases their defences came out on top. With halftime approaching though the Ealing Trailfinders pack opted for a scrum from a penalty and after a strong drive Brown touched down to secure the four-try bonus point.
Both teams sought to continue their attacking style at the start of the second half and while both sides pinned their opponents in their own half at times, minor errors following good moves stopped either side from adding to the score.
It meant that for the first 20 minutes of the second the score remained as it was, but eventually and after another error, Llewelyn Jones swooped on a loose ball and his soft pass gave Andy Reay a simple run to the line.
Shortly afterwards prop Kevin Davis pulled off a glorious show and give to set Harries free for his second, but the impressive Griffiths wiggled his way over as the hosts continued to keep the ball in hand.
The last word went to the visitors though. Luke Daniels broke through the heart of the Blackheath defence and offloaded to Phil Chesters to score. It means that all eyes will now turn to Vallis Way in seven days-time when the National 1 title will be up for grabs.
Scorers
Blackheath
Tries (Grier 22, Griffiths 71), Conversions (Squires 22)
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Ellis 16, Wardingley 19, Harries 24, 68, Brown 40, Reay 61, Chesters 76), Conversions (Ward 19, Daniels 40, 62, 69, 76)
Blackheath
Ryan Squires, Jake Lloyd, Markus Burcham (captain), Geoff Griffiths, Joe Hardy, Gordon Ross, Tom Trotter; Bertie Haskins, Nikolas Grier, Aston Croall, Fred Owens, George Oram, Chris Sewell, Jesse Liston, Isaac Ajayi
Reserves
Harry Fry, Stefan North, Dave Kearsey, Omari Caro, Jake Bedding
Ealing Trailfinders
Will Harries, Chris Kinloch, Sam Wardingley, Andy Reay, Phil Chesters, Ben Ward, Alex Walker; Tom Smallbone, Matt Thompson, Nathan Buck, Paul Spivey, Llewelyn Jones, Redford Pennycook, Tom Brown (captain)
Reserves
Kevin Davis, Alex Penny, Carwyn Jones, Anders Nilsson, Luke Daniels
Referee – Rob Warburton
Attendance – 1, 346
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