Ealing Trailfinders fought their way to a 25-17 win over Bedford at Goldington Road in horrendous conditions in the midst of Storm Darragh.

A brace from Matt Cornish, along with a penalty try and six points from the boot of Dan Jones were enough to give Trailfinders the win in Bedford.

The result means Trailfinders remain 2nd in the Championship, heading into the Christmas double header against Cambridge next weekend.

This game was always destined to be an attritional contest as Storm Darragh attempted to blow down Goldington Road, along with the rest of Great Britain.

The Bedford faithful were not deterred though, and healthy Blues crowd witnessed an 80 minute arm wrestle.

The hosts started with the slope, as well as the 50 mph breeze, and dictated the early play as a result.

They opened the scoring through the boot of Will Maisey, followed quickly by a Jones shot at goal to level the scoring.

Bedford then scored the game’s first try through a well worked set play sending Matt Worley over the line.

The scrap continued and, despite playing into the gales, Trailfinders scored next to close the gap.

Keeping the play tight, Cornish scored off the back of the rolling maul.

The hosts then widened their lead.  The ball was dabbed through off the boot and Alfie Garside slid in to dot the ball down.

Inexplicably given the atmospheric conditions, Trailfinders managed to hold the possession for the remainder of the half.  As such, the sides went into the sheds wondering if the Bedford lead had managed to reach the par set by the breeze.

Half Time: Bedford 17-8 Ealing Trailfinders

The second term started as cagey as the first ended. The kicks, either from nine or ten, were relentless as both teams tried to dictate territory.

Trailfinders crucially scored first via Jones’ second shot at goal after Bedford pushed their luck at the break down and the visitors were within a score.

Somehow the conditions then worsened, and the remainder of the game was a scrap for the ages.

Trailfinders pressured and pressured the hosts but failed to score for a large chunk of half, until disaster struck for Bedford.

Louie James saw yellow for an intentional knock-on that could have been a penalty try. Referee Craig Maxwell-Keys saw it differently however, and Jones kicked to the corner in search of a breakthrough.

Bedford then infringed at the maul, and a penalty try was awarded to give Trailfinders the lead, sending Fred Tuilagi to the bin.

Trailfinders didn’t capitalise on being two players up, but they widened their lead as Cornish rode on the back of another rolling maul for his second.

The result means that Trailfinders remain second in the Championship, two points behind Coventry in first.

Full Time: Bedford 17-25 Ealing Trailfinders

Tries:

Ealing Trailfinders

Cornish (22, 78), Penalty (67)

Bedford

Worley (10), Garside (25)

Conversions:

Ealing Trailfinders

Jones (79)

Bedford

Maisey (10, 25)

Penalties:

Ealing Trailfinders

Jones (7, 51)

Bedford

Maisey  (4)

Yellow Cards:

Bedford

James (65), Tuilagi (67)

Ealing Trailfinders survived a late second-half comeback, as they secured a 31-40 victory away at Bedford Blues.

At one point the visitors were 12-33 in front, but Bedford cut loose in the final 20 and managed to bring it the score back to 31-33 with six minutes to go.

But a late score from the league’s top scorer Carlo Tizzano, helped the league leaders maintain their six point lead at the top, and also end Bedford’s unbeaten home record this season.

It was a game where the Trailfinders flew out of the blocks, with Alun Walker marauding down the right touchline before getting the ball back inside to Luke Daniels who dotted down after two minutes. The winger, who was given the kicking duties for the afternoon, impressively converted from the touchline to get the visitors off to the perfect start.

Bedford then responded quickly however. First they dotted down from close range, before then getting their second on the quarter of an hour mark after an exciting passage of play saw them take advantage of an overlap.

Now with the momentum against them, Trailfinders went back to their basics which sae them grab a quick fire double of their own.

First Craig Hampson sold an outrageous dummy from close range to muscle over after a powerful rolling maul had come up just short. Then with five minutes left of the first half, a wayward kick to Jonah Holmes saw the fullback cut free. The Welshman spotted a gap in the defensive line, and despite being tap-tackled, managed to get back to his feet before offloading to Andrew Davidson. The second-row then released Simon Uzokwe, and the number eight put on the afterburners to run in the score from 30m out. Daniels converted both scores to make it Bedford Blues 12-21 Ealing Trailfinders at the break.

The second 40 started in very similar fashion to the first, Trailfinders scoring early. It took just four minutes for Walker to muscle over on the back of a powerful rolling maul, as the visitors grabbed the bonus point after just 44 minutes.

Throughout the afternoon, Trailfinders had had some serious scrum dominance, and on the 55th minute, the referee ran out of patience as he sent the Bedford prop to the bin. Instantly they made the extra numbers pay, as they worked the ball from right to left, tying in the defenders and making space for Max Bodilly to score in the corner.

With twenty minutes to go and the score being 12-33, Trailfinders should have cruised to victory, but Bedford had other ideas. Dean Adamson and Michael Le Bouigoius went over either side of a Cian Kelleher yellow card to make it 24-33. Then with the game entering the final stages, Jake Garside grabbed the visitors’ fifth to make it a two point game with six minutes to go.

Trailfinders could have then been shell shocked after this rapid comeback from the hosts, but they regrouped and slowly reasserted their dominance. After repeated penalties, Tizzano crashed over with three minutes to play to ensure the victory and see them return to Ealing with all five points!

It was a performance the whole team can be proud of, but it was a particularly proud day for George Davis, as the tighthead not only dominated the scrum, but he also made his 50th appearance for the club and was presented with his cap after the game.

It proved to be a tough Friday night under the lights for Ealing Trailfinders, as they battled against a resilient Bedford Blues side. With a gritty performance at Goldington Road, to come away with the bonus point win.

A fast start to proceedings saw Centre’s Max Bodilly and Pat Howard light the touch paper, in a game which saw the Trailfinders score another six tries to add to their Greene Kind IPA Championship points total.

Ben Ward’s men hit the road looking to keep their playoff final hopes well and truly in their own hands, with rivals Doncaster Knights and Saracens breathing down their necks, in a race for the top 2 playoff places.

After an impressive 69-7 victory last time out over Richmond, the West London outfit named six changes to face Bedford including a debut in the back-row for newcomer Max Northcote-Green.

It took just five minutes for The Trailfinders to find space, with break down the left gaining valuable metres, going through the phases through the forward pack, until Max Bodilly found himself in the perfect position to pick and go, stretching to dot down. Shingler adding the extras to put the visitors seven points up.

Just moments later Bedford were once again penalised for not releasing at the breakdown, with Shingler kicking precisely to the corner. A smooth line out play between Shaun Malton and James Cannon led to a rolling maul, before the ball was moved out to the backs, with Bodilly feeding it out wide to Pat Howard who raced home to score the Trailfinders second of the evening, Shingler once again adding the extras to double the travelling sides points tally.

Bedford’s first spell in the visitor’s 22 didn’t come until the 15th minute, when Will Maisey kicked to corner after Ealing Trailfinders were penalised at breakdown, but the ball was quickly won back by the visitors, when Lewis Thiede showed strength at the break down to win the penalty.

The Trailfinders were soon on the warpath again with just 20 minutes on the clock, after a big kick into touch within Bedford’s 22 from Shingler led once again to a well worked line-out. The ball being worked out to the back from Malton’s Lineout which found James Cannon, before Charlie Walker was found in space to power home for The Trailfinders third try.

It seemed to be all one way traffic, but Bedford weren’t going to go down without a fight, working the ball out wide after breakdown inside Ealing Trailfinders 22, with Pat Tapley dotting down in the right hand corner, to get the home sides first points of the game.

The home side weren’t finished their either, when with the clock in the red, Bedford scored again through Tapley, Matt Worley breaks away from the chase Trailfinders defence, offloading for the winger to score. Fly-half Will Maisey this time adding the conversion to close the gap going into half-time.

HT 12-21

The home side came out, picking up where they finished the first half, after a number of strong carries in the sloping corner of the field put them within touching distance of the white wash. Joe Atkinson then latched onto the back of the rolling maul, to dot down for the home sides third try of the game.

Moments later a kick over the top from Shingler put Bedford’s defence under pressure once again, winning the turn over at breakdown the Trailfinders built multiple phases inside Bedford’s 22, after a number of scrums the ball was worked right to Pat Howard who stepped inside to dot down for his second of the game. Shingler once again adding the extras.

The game was all but put to bed with ten minutes to go with a big scrum from the Trailfinders replacement front row, saw Ealing keep hold of possession, going again and again with a number of big carries, before Jordan Burns was fed the ball by Max Bodilly, throwing the dummy and racing through the gap to score.

The visitors weren’t finished there though, and a sixth try was awarded with just minutes to go. A great break from Angus Kernohan, who picked up a loose knock on ball to race away, with only a last minute swipe from Bedfords chasing back defence stopping him from scoring. This momentum though led to Guy Thompson dotting down at the back of the rolling maul, after coming off the bench to replace Simon Uzokwe.

Another bonus point win for Ben Ward’s side and another step closer to securing a place in the Championship playoffs, with next weekend’s clash with Doncaster proving a season defining fixture for both sides.

FT 17-40

Bedford Blues –

15. Rich Lane (C), 14. Pat Tapley, 13. Tom Litchfield, 12. Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas, 11. Matt Worley, 10. Will Maisey, 9. Connor Tupai; 1. Emmanuel Lyogun, 2. Jacob Fields (52 Hughes), 3. Ed Prowse (40 Paul), 4. Will Carrick Smith, 5. Jordan Onojaife, 6. JJ Tonks, 7. Joe Atkinson, 8. Tui Uru (56 McCarthy.

Bedford Replacements:

16. Jack Hughes, 17. Sean McCarthy, 18. Henry Paul, 19. Oli Curry, 20. Ollie Newman, 21. James Lennon, 22. Ethan Grayson, 23. Elijah Niko

Tries – Tapley 2, Atkinson

Conversions – Maisey

Yellow Cards – Henry Paul

Ealing Trailfinders –

15. David Johnston, 14. Charlie Walker, 13. Max Bodilly, 12. Pat Howard, 11. Angus Kernohan, 10. Steven Shingler, 9. Craig Hampson (63 Burns); 1. James Gibbons (62 Davis), 2. Shaun Malton, 3. Lewis Thiede (54 Whyte), 4. Bobby De Wee, 5. James Cannon (62 Casson), 6. Max Northcote-Green (66 Murphy), 7. Simon Uzokwe (61 G Thompson), 8. Rayn Smid (c).

Ealing Replacements:

16. Michael Van Vuuren, 17. Will Davis, 18. Kyle Whyte, 19. Harry Casson, 20. Kieran Murphy, 21. Jordan Burns, 22. Luke Daniels, 23. Guy Thompson

Tries – Bodilly, Howard 2, Walker, Burns, Thompson.

Conversions – Shingler 5

Officials: Referee – Sara Cox; AR 1 – Mike Hudson; AR 2 – Ian Bibey; 4th – Tim Allatt.

Ealing Trailfinders completed a dramatic late comeback to secure a memorable 24-23 victory over Bedford Blues at Goldington Road.

In what was the final match of the 2017 the West Londoners saved one of their best performances until last, as they came from 18-0 down with just 20 minutes remaining to earn a sensational win.

A penalty try as well as scores from Luke Carter and Barney Maddison brought the Trailfinders back in to it, before a nerveless conversion from Luke Daniels completed the drama in front of 3401 in Bedford.

The first half was one to forget for Ben Ward’s side who were uncharacteristically slow out of the blocks, and it was the Blues who raced in to the lead with two first half tries.

Harry Sheppard kicked the hosts ahead with a penalty after seven minutes, and they dominated possession in the early stages as they moved in to the ascendancy.

They were rewarded with a try on the 20 minute mark, as a huge overlap at the top of their famous slope allowed captain Michael LeBourgeois a free run over the try-line for the first five pointer of the match. Shepherd’s conversion was successful, extending their lead to 10-0.

The Trailfinders continued to look flustered and struggled in the set-piece as a number of lineouts went astray, and they were then punished with Bedford going over for another try.

A turnover in the midfield was quickly pounced on and spun to Dean Adamson who dived over the line after some neat hands to find the winger in space. The conversion went wide, but a penalty five minutes later ensured that the hosts held an 18-0 lead at half time.

It was immediately clear that the Trailfinders looked a different side in the second half and they began with plenty of intent as they went through the phases.

Despite spending plenty of time in the Bedford 22 they couldn’t translate that on to the scoreboard until the hour mark when a penalty try brought them back in to the match. A five metre scrum powered towards the line, and referee Simon Harding went straight under the posts to cut the deficit to 18-7.

Bedford’s re-start went straight in to touch which signalled how the Trailfinders were forcing their way back in to the match, and just moments later Luke Daniels kicked a penalty from in front of the posts to trim the gap to just eight points.

Again from the re-start Ben Ward’s men responded straight away as their performance went up the gears, with Luke Carter going over for a try to bring them within one point.

A superb kick chase forced Bedford in to an error, and Mark Bright bundled towards their defence before Carter gathered from outside the 22 and raced away to the line. Daniels’ conversion ensured we headed in to a blockbuster finish with the score at 18-17.

However it was the Blues who were to score next as it looked like they had secured the win with eight minutes left. They battered away at the try-line after some dominance up front before Alex Rae gathered a flat pass and couldn’t be stopped from just five metres out. They extended their lead to 23-17, but crucially the conversion went wide which kept Ealing within a converted try of going in front.

That much-needed try came with just three minutes remaining to send the travelling supporters in to raptures. A penalty was kicked to the corner, and with the resulting maul hauled down Barney Maddison powered his way over from close range. The conversion was still needed, and Daniels kept his cool to impressively edge his side one point in front.

That wasn’t to be the end of the drama, as the Blues came flying back in search of the win. They went through the phases and knew that a penalty would give them the chance of victory, but the defence kept their discipline and forced Bedford in to a drop goal. Hooley’s attempt went wide and confirmed the victory for Ealing, in circumstances that looked very unlikely just 20 minutes earlier.

The result means that the Trailfinders consolidate their position in second, entering 2018 fifteen points ahead of Yorkshire Carnegie in third.

Bedford Blues:

15. Matt Gallagher 14. Elliot Clement-Hill 13. Ollie Dodge 12. Michael LeBourgeois (c) 11. Dean Adamson 10. Harry Sheppard (replaced by Will Hooley) 9. Lee Dickson (replaced by Jordan Burns) 1. Sean McCarthy (replaced by Camilo Parilli-Ocampo) 2. Tom Lindsay (replaced by George Edgson) 3. Ben Cooper (replaced by Alex Penny) 4. Jordan Onojaife 5. Will Carrick-Smith 6. Alex Rae 7. Jack Nay (replaced by Josh Buggea) 8. Jarad Williams

Replacements:

16. George Edgson 17. Camilo Parilli-Ocampo 18. Alex Penny 19. Ed Taylor 20. Josh Buggea 21. Jordan Burns 22. Will Hooley

Scorers:

Tries: Michael LeBourgeois (20 minutes) Dean Adamson (29 minutes) Alex Rae (72 minutes)

Conversions: Harry Sheppard (20 minutes)

Penalties: Harry Sheppard (7, 34 minutes)

Ealing Trailfinders:

15 Luke Daniels 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Piers O’Conor 12 Joe Munro 11 Miles Mantella (replaced by Peter Lydon) 10 Rory Clegg 9 Luke Carter 1 Will Davis (replaced by James Gibbons) 2 Alun Walker (replaced by Matt Cornish) 3 Mark Tampin (replaced by Lewis Thiede) 4 Llewelyn Jones 5 Barney Maddison 6 Kieran Murphy (replaced by Morgan Allen) 7 Rayn Smid (replaced by Dan Temm) 8 Mark Bright (c)

Replacements:

16 Matt Cornish 17 James Gibbons 18 Lewis Thiede 19 Morgan Allen 20 Dan Temm 21 Dan Grant Adamson 22 Peter Lydon

Scorers:

Tries: Penalty Try (56 minutes) Luke Carter (63 minutes) Barney Maddison (76 minutes)

Conversions: Luke Daniels (63, 76 minutes)

Penalties: Luke Daniels (61 minutes)

Match Officials:

Referee: Simon Harding

Assistant Referees: Lionel Spooner & Ian Bibey

Fourth Official: Robbie Burke

Half Time Score: Bedford Blues 18 – 0 Ealing Trailfinders