Ealing Trailfinders made it three wins in a row with a six-try 45-20 victory over Nottingham at Vallis Way.

The hosts had a seven point lead at the break but three tries in the first 15 minutes of the second half saw them pull away and register the victory over Ian Costello’s side.

The six tries came courtesy of a Luke Carter hat-trick as well as scores from Luke Daniels, Kieran Murphy and Piers O’Conor to ensure a comfortable win.

Both teams had only played once in the last month due to postponements, and that was noticeable in the opening exchanges with a number of errors as the players got back up to speed.

Luke Daniels kicked the Trailfinders in front on the 15 minute mark with a penalty, and that lead was extended to 10 points with 25 minutes on the clock as Luke Carter scored the first try of the match.

Rayn Smid and James Cordy Redden both went within inches of the line, and then the scrum-half sniped over from close range.

Nottingham responded straight away with a try from Sean Scanlon to cut the deficit. The re-start was gathered and Tiff Eden’s cross kick found Scanlon who stepped his way over to score. The conversion from Eden cut the gap to just three points, before a penalty levelled the score at 10-10.

Kieran Murphy marked his captaincy of the Green and Whites with a crucial try before half time. Sam Dickinson offloaded to the back-rower, and he rampaged his way over the line by racing clear from 20 metres. Daniels converted, and ensured the Trailfinders had a 17-10 advantage at the break.

The start to the second half was where the game was won as the hosts raced clear of their opponents to secure the bonus point.

Piers O’Conor latched on to the back of a rolling maul to drive over the line just three minutes in to the second half, with Daniels converting to extend the lead to 24-10.

Luke Carter scored his second just two minutes later with the try of the match to register the four try bonus point. Mark Bright was in the clear, and an outrageous offload gave Carter an unattended run to the line.

Nottingham again responded with a try as they looked for a way back in to the match. A five metre lineout gave them the platform, and Jimmy Stevens broke away to dive over in the corner.

Luke Daniels got the Trailfinders’ fifth try of the match just before the hour to put the result beyond doubt. Peter Lydon took a quick tap penalty and a looping pass found Daniels on the wing who ran over in the corner. The touchline conversion extended the lead to 38-15.

Carter got his hat trick from the base of a ruck as he brought up the 40 point mark with another sniping run, and Jordan Coghlan then got Nottingham’s third try with a close range score.

The match ended with both sides playing expansive rugby, but the game was brought to an end with a comfortable victory for Ben Ward’s men.

Ealing Trailfinders:

15 Peter Lydon (replaced by Will Harries, 75 mins) 14 Luke Daniels 13 Piers O’Conor 12 Joe Munro 11 James Cordy Redden 10 Shane O’Leary 9 Luke Carter (replaced by Dan Grant Adamson, 68 mins) 1 James Gibbons (replaced by Will Davis, 54 mins) 2 Matt Cornish (replaced by Alun Walker, 60 mins) 3 Lewis Thiede (replaced by Mark Tampin, 60 mins) 4 Sam Dickinson 5 Harry Casson (replaced by Morgan Allen, 70 mins) 6 Kieran Murphy (c) 7 Rayn Smid (replaced by Dan Temm, 61 mins) 8 Mark Bright

Replacements:

16 Alun Walker 17 Will Davis 18 Mark Tampin 19 Morgan Allen 20 Dan Temm 21 Dan Grant Adamson 22 Will Harries

Scorers:

Tries: Luke Carter (28, 45, 65 minutes) Kieran Murphy (39 minutes) Piers O’Conor (43 minutes) Luke Daniels (56 minutes)

Conversions: Luke Daniels (28, 39, 43, 45, 56, 65 minutes)

Penalties: Luke Daniels (15 minutes)

Nottingham Rugby:

15 Sean Scanlon 14 Billy Robinson 13 Joe Cobden 12 Oliver Evans (replaced by Gearoid Lyons, 26 mins) 11 George Furbank 10 Tiff Eden (replaced by Murray McConnell) 9 Darryl Veenendaal 1 James Penman (replaced by Tom West, 50 mins) 2 Jimmy Stevens (replaced by Ben Brownlie, 62 mins) 3 Rory Burke (replaced by Ben Hooper, 62 mins) 4 Danny Qualter 5 Alex Moon (replaced by Matt Everard) 6 Ben Morris (c) 7 Jordan Coghlan 8 Shane Buckley (replaced by Josh Poullett)

Replacements:

16 Ben Brownlie 17 Tom West 18 Ben Hooper 19 Matt Everard 20 Josh Poullet 21 Murray McConnell 22 Gearoid Lyons

Scorers:

Tries: Sean Scanlon (31 minutes) Jimmy Stevens (52 minutes) Jordan Coghlan (70 minutes)

Conversions: Tiff Eden (31 minutes)

Penalties: Tiff Eden (38 minutes)

Match Officials:

Referee: Simon Harding

Assistant Referees: Nick Marshall & Brian Ravenhill

Fourth Official: Philip Davies

Half Time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 17 – 10 Nottingham Rugby

Attendance: 696

Storm Man of the Match: Luke Daniels

Ealing Trailfinders pushed Bristol all the way in a nail-biting top of the table clash at Vallis Way, but eventually fell 27-28 to the league leaders.

A topsy turvy match saw the West Londoners dominate for large periods, but despite a late rally they were unable to register a famous win.

Tries from James Cordy Redden and Morgan Allen as well as a penalty try put Ben Ward’s men within touching distance of the victory, but Pat Lam’s side continued their 100% record in the league in dramatic circumstances.

Bristol took an early lead as Tusi Pusi went over the line with 10 minutes on the clock. A break took them to within inches of the line and the ball was spread wide straight away as the Samoan dived over the line. Ian Madigan’s conversion gave them a 7-0 advantage.

The Trailfinders responded straight away with a try from James Cordy Redden to level the score. Aaron Penberthy’s inch perfect cross kick was gathered by the winger who stormed his way to the line, and with Luke Daniels’ conversion it was 7-7 with 15 minutes gone.

Ben Ward’s men started to gain ascendancy at scrum-time and were enjoying dominance up front, which led to them taking the lead.

A penalty was kicked to touch and gave them a five metre lineout, and as it was driving towards the line the referee went under the posts to award the Trailfinders a penalty try. Steven Luatua was sent to the sin-bin as a result, but the West Country side responded immediately.

Sam Jeffries ran under the posts and after a check with the TMO for a controversial forward pass the try was given, with Madigan’s conversion levelling the score.

Luke Daniels kicked a penalty with the last play of the half to give the hosts a 17-14 lead at the break, but not before Harry Casson and Gaston Cortes were sent to the sin-bin for some aggressive behaviour on the floor.

Bristol made the perfect start to the second half with a long range try from Jordan Williams. The full-back got the ball inside his own half and used his scintillating place to race away from the defenders and dive over the line. Madigan again converted to give them a 21-17 lead, but Aaron Penberthy’s 35-metre drop goal cut the gap to just a point.

Jordan Williams scored again with 20 minutes remaining to give Bristol an eight point advantage. Sustained pressure in the 22 saw them hammer away at the try-line, and then Williams was the beneficiary of an overlap on the right wing to score.

The Trailfinders responded and gave everything in the final 15 minutes in order to record a memorable victory.

Kieran Murphy was denied a try as he was held up, but from the resulting five metre scrum Morgan Allen powered his way to the line and with Daniels’ conversion the deficit was down to just a point.

Ben Ward’s men had all of the possession as they chased the win with seconds left on the clock, but Bristol were able to hold out and leave London with a hard-fought victory.

Ealing Trailfinders:

15 Luke Daniels 14 Will Harries 13 Lewis Jones (replaced by Peter Lydon, 72 mins) 12 Joe Munro 11 James Cordy Redden 10 Aaron Penberthy 9 Luke Carter 1 James Gibbons (replaced by Will Davis, 48 mins) 2 Alun Walker (replaced by Matt Cornish, 51 mins) 3 Lewis Thiede (replaced by Mark Tampin, 51 mins) 4 Harry Casson (replaced by Llewelyn Jones, 69 mins) 5 Barney Maddison 6 Kieran Murphy 7 Rayn Smid 8 Mark Bright (c) (replaced by Morgan Allen, 63 mins)

Replacements:

16 Matt Cornish 17 Will Davis 18 Mark Tampin 19 Morgan Allen 20 Llewelyn Jones 21 Dan Grant Adamson 22 Peter Lydon

Scorers:

Tries: James Cordy Redden (14 minutes) Penalty Try (30 minutes) Morgan Allen (73 minutes)

Conversions: Luke Daniels (14, 73 minutes)

Penalties: Luke Daniels (40 minutes)

Drop Goal: Aaron Penberthy (44 minutes)

Yellow Card: Harry Casson

Bristol Rugby:

15. Jordan Williams; 14. Luke Morahan, 13. Siale Piutau, 12. Tusi Pisi (c), 11. Alapati Leiua; 10. Ian Madigan, 9. Rhodri Williams; 1. Ryan Bevington, 2. Jason Harris-Wright, 3. Gaston Cortes, 4. Joe Joyce, 5. Sam Jeffries, 6. Steve Luatua, 7. Dan Thomas, 8. Nick Haining.

Replacements:

16. Nick Fenton-Wells, 1 Soane Tonga’uiha, 18 Sione Faletau, 19 Jack Lam, 20 Andy Uren, 21 Billy Searle 22 Jack Tovey

Scorers:

Tries: Tusi Pisi (10 minutes) Sam Jeffries (35 minutes) Jordan Williams (41, 62 minutes)

Conversions: Ian Madigan (10, 35, 41, 62 minutes)

Yellow Cards: Steven Luatua, Gaston Cortes

Match Officials:

Referee: Luke Pearce

Assistant Referees: Steve Lee & Lionel Spooner

Fourth Official: Robert Warburton

Television Match Official: Graham Hughes

Half Time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 17 – 14 Bristol Rugby

Attendance: 1589

Storm Man of the Match: Luke Daniels

Ealing Trailfinders stormed their way to a victory over Richmond, scoring six tries in a 40-24 at Vallis Way.

In a scintillating first half display Ben Ward’s men raced in to a 40-5 lead at the break with impressive tries from Mark Bright, Barney Maddison, Piers O’Conor, Seb Stegmann and a brace from Alun Walker.

However the visitors responded in the second half and kept the Trailfinders out as they put in a spirited final 40 minutes.

In a frantic start where the hosts scored three times in the first 15 minutes, Mark Bright opened the scoring with just 180 seconds on the clock. A number of phases took the Trailfinders in to the Richmond 22, and Bright saw a gap from the base of the ruck to run through unattended under the posts. Luke Daniels converted, giving his side a 7-0 advantage.

That lead was then doubled just two minutes later, with Barney Maddison getting on the score sheet. Seb Stegmann made a scintillating break from inside his own 22 which took him to within five metres of the line, and when the ball was recycled it allowed Maddison to smash his way over from close range.

Piers O’Conor got the third on the 15 minute mark with the outstanding try of the match. Straight from the top of a lineout the ball was spun to Luke Daniels who raced clear, and drew in the last defender to allow O’Conor a clear run to the line in the corner. The conversion was just wide, but the hosts had a commanding 19-0 advantage.

Alun Walker then secured the bonus point try before the half hour. More patient build up play took Ben Ward’s men up to the line, and the hooker dummied to allow him a clear run as he dodged the last of the Richmond defence.

Richmond responded straight away to cut the deficit. Ealing were hammering away at the line, but Luc Jones intercepted and ran the length of the field to score their first try of the game.

There was still time for another two tries before the break, with Walker scoring his second with 32 minutes on the clock. A five metre lineout gave the hosts the perfect platform, and with the maul rolling towards the line the hooker broke away to score. Daniels’ conversion extended the lead to 33-5.

Seb Stegmann joined the party with the sixth try ahead of half time. With some loose ball in the midfield, O’Conor fizzed a looping pass to the winger who ran clear in the corner. Daniels again converted, giving the Trailfinders a 40-5 lead at the break.

With a comprehensive lead at the break the hosts were unable to replicate their first half display in the second half and it was Richmond who enjoyed the majority of possession in the final 40 minutes.

They struck first in the second half with a try from Jono Woodward on 42 minutes. A wide pass after a number of phases on the line found Woodward in acres of space, and he ran in to the try-line to cut the deficit to 40-10.

Will Harries had a chance out wide as he gained space outside the 22, but after storming towards the line he was dragged down by the scrambling visitors’ defence.

Richmond struck again on the hour mark for their third try of the afternoon, with Rob Kirby spotting a gap straight through the middle to run clear from inside the 22.

Joe Munro then powered through the defence with a typical big carry, but he had no support and the ball was turned over.

With the last play of the match Richmond got their four-try bonus point, as Jesse Liston was the beneficiary of a strong carry to bundle over.

The result means that the Trailfinders stay second in the Greene King IPA Championship, however they will be looking for a more consistent display with the trip to Bedford next weekend.

Ealing Trailfinders:

15 Luke Daniels 14 Seb Stegmann 13 Piers O’Conor 12 Joe Munro 11 Will Harries (replaced by Peter Lydon, 68 mins) 10 Rory Clegg 9 Luke Carter (replaced by Dan Grant Adamson, 71 mins) 1 Will Davis (replaced by James Gibbons, 58 mins) 2 Alun Walker (replaced by Rhys Lawrence, 72 mins) 3 Mark Tampin (replaced by Lewis Thiede, 58 mins) 4 Harry Casson (replaced by Llewelyn Jones, 56 mins) 5 Barney Maddison 6 Kieran Murphy 7 Rayn Smid 8 Mark Bright (c) (replaced by Morgan Allen, 64 mins)

Replacements:

16 Rhys Lawrence 17 James Gibbons 18 Lewis Thiede 19 Llewelyn Jones 20 Morgan Allen 21 Dan Grant Adamson 22 Peter Lydon

Scorers:

Tries: Mark Bright (4 minutes) Barney Maddison (6 minutes) Piers O’Conor (13 minutes) Alun Walker (22, 32 minutes) Seb Stegmann (38 minutes)

Conversions: Luke Daniels (4, 6, 22, 32, 38 minutes)

Richmond:

15 Rob Kirby 14 Martin Freeman 13 Cameron Mitchell 12 Ronnie McLean 11 Jono Woodward 10 James Swan 9 Luc Jones 1 Jeremy Cunnew 2 Ross Grimstone 3 Joe Tarrant 4 Will Warden 5 Chris Davies 6 Jesse Liston 7 Jack Allcock 8 Chris Davies

Replacements:

16 Jason Phipps 17 Will Goodrick-Clarke 18 Max Crawford 19 Rhodri Adamson 20 Rory Damant 21 Toby Saysell 22 Craig Trenier

Scorers:

Tries: Luc Jones (27 minutes) Jono Woodward (43 minutes) Rob Kirby (60 minutes) Jesse Liston (80 minutes)

Conversions: Rob Kirby (60, 80 minutes)

Match Officials:

Referee: J P Doyle

Assistant Referees: Robert Warburton & Nigel Carrick

Fourth Official: Michael Hudson

Half Time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 40 – 5 Richmond

Attendance: 1030

Storm Man of the Match: Luke Carter

Ealing Trailfinders got back to wining ways with an emphatic 57-14 victory over Doncaster Knights at Vallis Way.

Ben Ward’s side scored eight tries in a brilliant display, where they showed impressive intensity throughout to record a huge win.

Luke Daniels, who was on kicking duty and kicked brilliantly throughout opened the scoring with a penalty in the third minute to give the Trailfinders an early lead, however it was the Knights who responded and went in front.

A turnover gave the visitors a good attacking position inside the 22, and a grubber in behind allowed Charles Foley to gather the ball and dive over the line. Dougie Flockhart converted, putting his side 7-3 ahead.

However the Trailfinders didn’t look back and powered their way in to the lead, and once they had it they never sacrificed it as the performance went from strength to strength.

Alun Walker bundled over the line from a rolling maul on the 12 minute mark to put the West Londoners back in front, and the conversion from Daniels edged them 10-7 ahead.

The remaining 30 minutes of the first half was then controlled by the Trailfinders who stormed their way in front. Kieran Murphy marked his return to action with an outstanding score to give the hosts some breathing space.

Straight from the top of a lineout the ball was spun straight to the flanker, who smashed his way through the middle of the defence and had the pace to dive over unattended. Daniels’ conversion extended the lead to 10 points, and that was to be increased just five minutes later.

James Cordy Redden scored his first of the afternoon to put the Green and Whites 24-7 in front. A turnover gave the Trailfinders front foot ball, and Rayn Smid carried towards the Doncaster 22 before unleashed the winger who used his pace to race clear down the touchline and score in the corner.

The bonus point was secured before half time, with Lewis Jones marking his first Championship start of the season with a try to ensure of the extra point. Rory Clegg took the ball up to the line after drawing in a number of defenders he popped the ball to Jones who had a free run to the line from just outside the 22. That score meant that the West Londoners had a convincing 31-7 lead at half time.

Ben Ward’s men showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, and started with another try from Lewis Jones who was on his way to the Storm Man of the Match Award. A turnover gave the Trailfinders the ball underneath their own posts, but they showed huge ambition by playing from deep. Joe Munro’s looping pass found Cordy Redden on the wing who ran up to the half way line before passing to Jones who had the pace to run clear from 40 metres and dive over the line. Daniels, who missed just one kick all afternoon converted to extend the lead to 38-7.

Rayn Smid got on the scoresheet just before the hour mark as the hosts continued to dominate. An overlap gave them a two on one on the wing, and Murphy drew in the final man before allowing Smid to run to the line and dive over in the corner.

Doncaster then began to gain some of the ascendancy in the final quarter and went over for a consolation try with 12 minutes left on the clock. After a number of phases in the 22 the ball was spun to Cameron Cowell who used his footwork to find the try-line after evading a number of tackles.

There was still time for Ealing to respond, and they rounded off the afternoon with two late tries to add some gloss to the scoreboard.

A turnover in the Doncaster 22 saw the ball spill out of the ruck, and it was Matt Cornish who was first to react which allowed him to race through the middle and slide under the posts. That brought up the 50 point tally to the delight of the supporters.

Smid then got his second of the match with two minutes left. From the base of a scrum inside the Doncaster 22 the South African used his strength to bulldoze his way to the line and round off the scoring.

The final whistle was met with loud cheers after an impressive 57-14 win, a victory which cements the Trailfinders’ as second in the Championship table ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Hartpury.

Ealing Trailfinders:

15 Luke Daniels 14 Will Harries 13 Lewis Jones (replaced by Piers O’Conor) 12 Joe Munro 11 James Cordy Redden 10 Rory Clegg (replaced by Lewis Robling) 9 Luke Carter (replaced by Grayson Hart) 1 Will Davis (replaced by James Gibbons) 2 Alun Walker3 Mark Tampin (replaced by Lewis Thiede) 4 Barney Maddison 5 Harry Casson (replaced by Llewelyn Jones) 6 Kieran Murphy (replaced by Matt Cornish) 7 Rayn Smid 8 Mark Bright

Replacements:

16 Matt Cornish 17 James Gibbons 18 Lewis Thiede 19 Llewelyn Jones 20 Grayson Hart 21 Lewis Robling 22 Piers O’Conor

Scorers:

Tries: Alun Walker (12 minutes) Kieran Murphy (20 minutes) James Cordy Redden (24 minutes) Lewis Jones (34, 45 minutes) Rayn Smid (56, 76 minutes) Matt Cornish (73 minutes)

Conversions: Luke Daniels (12, 20, 24, 34, 46, 56, 73 minutes)

Penalties: Luke Daniels (3 minutes)

Doncaster Knights:

15 Cameron Cowell 14 Dougie Flockhart 13 Charlie Foley 12 Lloyd Hayes 11 Curtis Wilson 10 Declan Cusack 9 Tom James 1 Owen Evans 2 Curtis Langdon 3 Joe Sproston 4 Matt Challinor 5 Morgan Eames 6 Alex Shaw 7 Michael Hills (c) 8 Jason Hill

Replacements:

16 Ben Hunter 17 Jack Bergmanas 18 Colin Quigley 19 Stone Priestley-Nagle 20 Junior Bulumakau 21 Michael Heaney 22 Simon Humberstone

Scorers:

Tries: Charles Foley (6 minutes) Cameron Cowell (70 minutes)

Conversions: Dougie Flockhart (6, 70 minutes)

Match Officials:

Referee: Steve Lee

Assistant Referees: Bill Burton & Brian Ravenhill

Fourth Official: Jack Sutton

Half Time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 31 – 7 Doncaster Knights

Storm Man of the Match: Lewis Jones

Attendance: 574