Ealing Trailfinders were unable to give their fans a festive treat when they slipped to only their second loss at Vallis Way.

Curtis Wilson scored a try and Aaron Penberthy added a conversion and three penalties, but it wasn’t enough to stop a determined Pirates side who were inspired by livewire scrumhalf Stuart Townsend.

Ben Ward’s side did at least finish with a losing bonus point that takes them to 31 points in the Greene King IPA Championship.

Wilson came close to opening the scoring early on, but he was unable to reach Alex Walker’s grubber before it ran dead.

Instead it was Pirates who struck first when Toby May finished in the corner after scrumhalf Stuart Townsend had sparked their back line with a tapped penalty on the halfway line.

Townsend continued to cause problems and Laurence May also came close to breaking through before Ealing Trailfinders’ defence had to bundle Alex Cheesman into touch close to their line.

Soon after Pirates hooker Tom Channon was held up after a driven line-out, as was Marlen Walker as the Pirates continued to set the tempo.

Ealing Trailfinders began to work their way back into the match and Aaron Penberthy slotted his first penalty after the Pirates defence was penalised for offside.

The home defence continued to work hard as Pirates continued to apply the pressure, but neither side added to the score before the break.

The home side came out and immediately raised their intensity. Alun Walker came close to the hosts first try, before Penberthy kicked them ahead early in the second period.

Pirates Laurence May replied almost immediately with his first penalty and then picked out wing Jack Arnott with a carefully threaded grubber kick.

Penberthy kicked his third penalty and then after Arthur Ellis had broken into the Pirates half, Wilson was set free down the right wing to score in the corner.

The fly-half’s conversion put Ealing Trailfinders ahead for the first time, but Pirates prop Tyler Gendall wiggled over after Joe Munro had twice stopped the Cornish backline from breaking through.

Ealing Trailfinders did their best to fight back as the clock ran down, but the Pirates controlled possession and ran the clock down by kicking deep whenever they could to stop the home side facing a packed defence whenever they ran the ball back.

Scorers
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Wilson 62), Conversions (Penberthy 63), Penalties (Penberthy 32, 46, 60)
Cornish Pirates
Tries (Toby May 7, Arnott 51, Gendall 68), Conversions (Laurence May 52, 68), Penalties (Laurence May 48)

Ealing Trailfinders
Luke Daniels, Curtis Wilson, Aled Jenkins, Joe Munro, Phil Chesters, Aaron Penberthy, Alex Walker; James Gibbons, Alun Walker, Lewis Thiede, Carwyn Jones, Glen Townson, Willie Ryan, Arthur Ellis, Mark Bright (captain)
Reserves
Matt Cornish, Ignacio Lancuba, Sam Rodman, Barney Maddison, Kieran Murphy, Luke Carter, Lewis Jones

Cornish Pirates
Toby May, Jack Arnott, Max Bodilly, Nicolas De Battista, Kyle Moyle, Laurence May, Stuart Townsend; Marlen Walker, Tom Channon, Tyler Gendall, Chris Morgan (capt), Brett Beukeboom, Sam Simmonds, Alex Cheesman, Tom Duncan
Reserves
Jack Innard, Alan Paver, Jake Parker, Dan Lee, Alex Day, Will Cargill, Bar Bartlett.

Referee – Mike Hudson
Attendance – 856

Ealing Trailfinders left it late, but eventually ground down a determined London Welsh side to grab four of the five points on offer to maintain their position of third in the Greene King IPA Championship.

After 75 minutes the pack won a penalty that Aaron Penberthy converted to take the lead for the first time at 13-11.

As the clock ran down and Welsh tried desperately to fight back, Penberthy held his nerve to score his third penalty and then with the final kick of the game, wiggled his way onto his left foot to drop a goal that meant the visitors left empty-handed.

It didn’t take London Welsh long to open the scoring. Fullback Martyn Thomas ran back a high kick and broke into the Ealing Trailfinders half. He was stopped by a combination of Alex Walker and Luke Daniels, but hooker Nathan Morris was on hand to collect the pop pass and run home.

The Exiles used the try to assert their dominance early on, notably through their attacking line-out and Joe Carlisle knocked over a penalty to extend their early advantage.

Ealing Trailfinders’ first chance came after Aled Jenkins charged down a Carlisle clearance. Matt Cornish took it on, but the team were able to capitalise. They maintained the pressure though and Penberthy slotted a penalty soon after.

The points preceded a good period of pressure for Ealing Trailfinders, who found their rhythm with backs and forwards linking up together and eventually they were rewarded when Penberthy scored his second penalty.

On the stroke of half-time Penberthy had the chance to put the hosts into the lead for the first time, but his kick rebounded back off a post to leave the Exiles ahead at the break.

The second half continued as the first ended with Ealing Trailfinders enjoying the better of the possession and territory, albeit without converting it into points.

Welsh stretched their lead when Carlisle scored his second penalty and then the match swung back and forth without either side able to grab the match by the scruff of the neck.

Just over 10 minutes from time Welsh number 8 Kieran Murphy was yellow carded and after the penalty was kicked to touch. After the initial drive from Willie Ryan, Penberthy was stopped illegally short of the line.

From the scrum the pack drove hard to win a penalty try and Penberthy converted to put Ealing Trailfinders into the lead for the first time.

The pack won another scrum penalty two minutes from time and Penberthy converted the penalty to stretch the lead to five points with two to go. He then dropped a goal off his left foot to extend the advantage further still on the stroke of half-time.

Scorers
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Penalty 75), Conversions (Penberthy 75), Penalties (Penberthy 20, 24, 78), Drop goals (Penberthy 79)
London Welsh
Tries (Morris 2), Penalties (Carlisle 16, 54)

Ealing Trailfinders
Luke Daniels, Rhys Crane, Aled Jenkins, Joe Munro, Curtis Wilson, Aaron Penberthy, Alex Walker; Ignacio Lancuba, Rhys Lawrence, Lewis Thiede, Harry Casson, Adam Preocanin, Chris York, Arthur Ellis, Mark Bright (captain)
Reserves
Alun Walker, James Gibbons, Alex Penny, Willie Ryan, Lewis Jones, Josh Davies, Ben Ward

London Welsh
Martyn Thomas, Kristian Phillips, Nick Reynolds, Seb Jewell, Chris Elder, Joe Carlisle, Rob Lewis; Nathan Trevett, Nathan Morris, Ben Cooper, Ben West, Barney Maddison, Ben Pienaar, Ryan Hodson (captain), Kieran Murphy
Reserves
Koree Britton, James Hallam, Lovejoy Chawatama, Jesse Liston, Ryan Glynn, Glyn Hughes, Heath Stevens

Attendance – 792
Referee – Michael Hudson

Ealing Trailfinders held off a Bedford Blues fightback to record their fifth win in a row and go up to third in the Greene King IPA Championship table.

Rhys Lawrence and Aled Jenkins scored in the first half and Alex Penny ran in the winner in the second half, while Aaron Penberthy weighed in with nine points with his boot.

The Blues fought back in a much improved second-half performance, but Ealing Trailfinders’ defence held them out till the very last play.

The hosts immediately went on the attack and Curtis Wilson nearly went over in the corner, but the Bedford Blues cover defence bundled him into touch. However, Jacob Fields overthrew the lineout and his opposite number Lawrence was happy to accept the invite to bundle his way over for the opening score.

Bedford hit back when Myles Dorrian knocked over a penalty, but Penberthy landed his first of the day soon after to restore the seven-point advantage.

Luke Daniels knocked on after swift hands from Joe Munro and Jenkins had set him free and Wilson then cut a strong line through the Bedford defence to keep it on the back foot.

Both teams continued to test each other’s defence up to the half-hour mark, but it wasn’t till Aled Jenkins finished off a flowing move that he started that the scoreboard ticked over again.

The centre wiggled his way through the Bedford defence and found Lawrence. He moved the ball on to Carwyn Jones and the second-row showed deft hands to release Jenkins who had looped round to race home.

Bedford roared back at the start of the second half and Alex Walker needed to be alert to clear up a George Perkins kick through. Dorrian scored his second penalty of the match and then Oli Dodge rounded off a good period of pressure by finding a gap to race through.

Lawrence came close to being driven over for his second try, but good work from Hayden Thompson-Stringer stopped him short of the line. The Ealing Trailfinders pack tried twice more, but on both occasions they were unable to find a way through the Bedford defence.

Burns and Perkins teamed up to lead a counter-attack that finished when Dorrian brought the Blues to within a point.

Daniels set James Cordy-Redden free, but again Bedford’s defence stood tall. Ealing Trailfinders third try came shortly afterwards though as Penny popped up in midfield to race home from Chris York’s flick pass.

Reigning Players’ Player of the Year Adam Preocanin came off the bench for his first appearance of the season and immediately came up with a vital lineout steal and Cordy-Redden then made a vital intercept close to the line as Bedford attacked in the dying moments.

Blues’ hooker George Edgson went over at the death and while it meant they were able to claim a losing point, there was no time left for them to go for the win.

Scorers
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Lawrence 3, Jenkins 33, Penny 70), Conversions (Penberthy 3, 33, 70), Penalties (Penberthy 11)
Bedford Blues
Tries (Dodge 47, Edgson 79), Conversions (Dorrian 47, 79), Penalties (Dorrian 8, 43, 66)

Ealing Trailfinders
Luke Daniels, James Cordy-Redden, Aled Jenkins, Joe Munro, Curtis Wilson, Aaron Penberthy, Alex Walker; Will Davis, Rhys Lawrence, Lewis Thiede, Carwyn Jones, Harry Casson, Willie Ryan, Arthur Ellis, Mark Bright (captain)
Reserves
Mark Cornish, James Gibbons, Alex Penny, Adam Preocanin, Chris York, Luke Carter, Ben Ward

Bedford Blues
Elliot Clement-Hill, Pat Tapley, Michael Le Bourgeois (c), Ollie Dodge, George Perkins, Myles Dorrian, Tom James; Hayden Thompson-Stringer, Jacob Fields, Dave Spelman, Mike Howard, Will Carrick-Smith, Ed Taylor, Ben Adams, Jason Hill
Reserves
George Edgson, Jack Culverhouse, Christian Judge, Byron Hodge, Josh Buggea, Jordan Burns, Jake Sharp

Referee – Jack Makepeace
Attendance – 789
STORM Watches man of the match – Aaron Penberthy

Ealing Trailfinders recorded their second victory of the season when they ran in three tries against Doncaster Knights, last season’s Greene King IPA Championship runners-up.

Joe Munro scored a first-half try before Aled Jenkins marked his debut with a try and Curtis Wilson scored his third of the season. Fly-half Aaron Penberthy meanwhile marked his first start for the team by landing all three conversions and two penalties early in the second half that kept the Yorkshiremen at arm’s length.

The opening 10 minutes were cagey as both team’s pack tried to impose themselves on the match. Both won penalties from each other and both tried to maul their way across the try-line, but neither were successful.

From a scrum on the Doncaster Knight’s line the home side set up an attacking platform and after Joe Munro was stopped on the line, James Cordy-Redden was unable to cleanly collect Aaron Penberthy’s cross-kick.

Cordy-Redden then made an important tackle to stop his opposite number Tyson Lewis as Doncaster Knights started to build a counter-attack.

When the play went up the other end an Ealing Trailfinders scrum gave Penberthy time to set up the attack and he set Munro free to hit a strong line run in for the opening score.

Cordy-Redden came to the rescue again when Knights’ fly-half Simon Humberstone threatened on the counter, Penberthy’s kicking kept the visitors pinned in their half.

Eventually they broke free and after Lewis broke the line he set Dave Clark to run in the five points that Doug Flockhart converted to tie the scores.

Ealing Trailfinders went back on the attack and Lewis Thiede almost set Luke Carter free after the tight-head had tapped a penalty. They continued to apply the pressure as half-time approached, but despite their best efforts Doncaster Knights’ defence held firm.

After half-time both teams sought to move the ball wide and after good Ealing Trailfinders pressure Penberthy knocked over a penalty to restore the hosts lead. He then added another after his high, hanging ball has caused the Knights’ defence problems.

Debutant Jenkins was beginning to make his presence felt in the centres and he too had to make an important tackle just as Lewis threatened to break clear.

Dave Nolan came close to scoring Doncaster Knights’ second when he charged down Carter’s kick, but the second-row knocked on as he went to pick up the ball. Flockhart then pushed a penalty wide as the match moved past the hour mark.

Carwyn Jones nearly grabbed an opportunist try when he swooped on a Willie Ryan charge-down, but he was stopped on the line. The ball came back quickly though and Jenkins had time and space to jink through the Knights’ defence for Ealing Trailfinders’ second try.

Arthur Ellis then showed his prowess when he won a turnover. He quickly moved the ball on to Llewelyn Jones, he found Ryan and he had the simple job of putting Wilson away in the corner.

As the Knights’ fought back fullback Jarvis knocked on with the line at his mercy and the Ealing Trailfinders defence continued to hold out though until five minutes from time when replacement Declan Cusack slipped through for their second try.

Doncaster Knights continued to assault the Ealing Trailfinders line as the clock ran down and after they went through multiple phases in attack, Nolan knocked on the tackle and after the Ealing Trailfinders forwards recycled the ball, Alex Walker hammered the ball off the field to ensure only the hosts claimed any points from the match.

Ealing Trailfinders are next in action next Sunday, 9 October, against Richmond at the Athletic Ground at 3pm.

Scorers
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Munro 21, Jenkins 63, Wilson 68), Conversions (Penberthy 21, 63, 68), Penalties (46, 51)
Doncaster Knights
Tries (Clark 31, Cusack 75), Conversions (Flockhart 31, Cusack 75)

Ealing Trailfinders
Will Harries, James Cordy-Redden, Aled Jenkins, Joe Munro, Curtis Wilson, Aaron Penberthy, Luke Carter; Ignacio Lancuba, Rhys Lawrence, Lewis Thiede, Carwyn Jones, Llewelyn Jones, Willie Ryan, Arthur Ellis, Mark Bright (captain)
Reserves
Matt Cornish, James Gibbons, Alex Penny, Harry Casson, Chris York, Alex Walker, Ben Ward

Doncaster Knights
Paul Jarvis, Dougie Flockhart, Mat Clark, Lloyd Hayes, Tyson Lewis, Simon Humberstone, Michael Heaney (captain), Richard List, Ben Hunter, WillGriff John, Dave Nolan, Glen Young, Latu Makaafi, Beau Robinson, Alex Shaw
Reserves
Robin Hislop, Harry Allen, Joe Sproston, Jarad Williams, Sean Scanlon, Dec Cusack, Sam Edgerley

Referee – Fergus Kirby
Attendance – 629

Ealing Trailfinders were unable to take any points from their opening fixture as one of the promotion candidates left with all five on offer.

Harry Casson scored his first try for Ealing Trailfinders and Luke Daniels weighed in with eight points from a conversion and two penalties. They were unable to add any more points after half-time though as Yorkshire Carnegie used the wind and high-pressure defence to pin Ealing Trailfinders in their half.

The hosts began strongly and after strong carries from Joe Munro and Rhys Crane, Mark Bright came close to scoring from Jonny Bentley’s deft chip over the defence. Instead they went back for an earlier penalty and Daniels opened the scoring.

Yorkshire Carnegie hit back with their first attack of the match. Flanker Ollie Stedman carried strongly, Joe Ford made a half-break and McColl raced home in the corner.

Ealing Trailfinders used the wind well and only an unfortunate bounce stopped Curtis Wilson taking full advantage of another Bentley chip. Even so the hosts retook the lead from a second Daniels penalty following good play from centre Joe Munro whose powerful charge took him deep into Carnegie territory.

As the half wore on Carnegie enjoyed a good period of pressure and forced a number of penalties in quick succession, the last of which Alex Davies converted to put the visitors back in front. Another Stedman break then took Carnegie up to the Ealing Trailfinders line and after a number of pick and goes, Dean Schofield found a gap to go over.

Second-row Harry Casson showed a deft pair of hands to dummy his way through the Carnegie defence and a clean pair of heels to go under between the posts, but before half-time Carnegie stretched their lead when Lucock finished off a move that started with a powerful Ryan Burrows break.

The weather came into play more as the swirling wind was joined by rain. It caused errors on both sides, though Andrew Forsyth came within inches of a try before he was hauled down. Two phases on Ealing Trailfinders encroached and Ford scored the first points of the second half from a penalty.

Carnegie added a penalty try from a rolling maul that earned them a bonus point and then controlled the match till the final whistle.

Ealing Trailfinders now travel to face Cornish Pirates on Sunday 11 September, before their next home match against Jersey Reds on 17 September.

Scorers
Ealing Trailfinders
Tries (Casson 37), Conversions (Penalties 38), Penalties (Daniels 3, 20)
Yorkshire Carnegie
Tries (McColl 4, Schofield 30, Lucock 39, Penalty 70), Conversions (Davies 31, Ford 70), Penalties (Davies 27, Ford 60)

Ealing Trailfinders
Luke Daniels, Rhys Crane, James Cordy-Redden, Joe Munro, Curtis Wilson, Jonny Bentley, Alex Walker; Ignacio Lancuba, Rhys Lawrence, Lewis Thiede, Carwyn Jones, Harry Casson, Willie Ryan, Iain Grieve, Mark Bright (captain)
Reserves
Arthur Ellis, Will Davis, Alex Penny, Llewelyn Jones, Lewis Jones, Luke Carter, Ben Ward

Yorkshire Carnegie
Stevie McColl, Seb Stegmann, Andy Forsyth, Pete Lucock, Jonah Holmes, Joe Ford, Alex Davies; Charlie Beech, Phil Nilsen, Ciaran Parker, Dean Schofield, Dan Sanderson, Ollie Stedman, Richard Mayhew, Ryan Burrows (captain)
Reserves
Jordan Poole, Lee Imiolek, Matt Smith, Richard Beck, Andy Saull, Max Green, Alex Gray

Referee – Darren Gamage
Attendance – 635