Ealing Trailfinders vs Jersey Reds

For the second year in the row, Ealing Trailfinders were crowned Championship Cup Champions after a 35-31 victory over Jersey Reds at Trailfinders Sports Club.

A Jonah Holmes brace, followed by scores from Jack Digby, Max Bodilly and George Davis helped the Londoners retain the trophy.

They were however pushed hard by the league champions, as a late Ben Woollett double saw Jersey finish with a flourish.

With the atmosphere bubbling up nicely at kick-off, Trailfinders flew out of the blocks! After the rolling maul came up just short, they drew in all numbers, before Craig Hampson slung the ball wide for Holmes to score in the corner after ten minutes. Luke Daniels impressively added the extras from the touchline.

Jersey responded on the twenty minute mark, as Jordan Holgate burst through the defensive line and managed to bundle over despite an impressive covering tackle.

Just before the break, Trailfinders almost got their second, but Holmes was held up after Alun Lawrence was sent to the bin for repeated Jersey offsides.

The start of the second half was very similar to the first, as the hosts flew out of the blocks. It took them only five minutes to score their second try and it was almost a carbon copy of their first. As the maul came up short, the Londoners kept slowly picking and going, making precious meters each time. Then after the numbers were drawn him, Hampson found Holmes on the wing again as he barged over.

Now with a nine point lead, the hosts would have wanted to extend it, however Jersey had other ideas. A fast penalty saw them go to the corner and after their fake maul play came up short, TJ Harris was able to bundle over.

As the hour mark ticked round, tensions were beginning to rise, but a quick fire double from the Londoners helped them assert their authority on the final. First Jack Digby was able to crash over from close range, before a beautiful free flowing move saw Max Bodilly go in and out before rounding the fullback and scoring under the posts!

The Reds, did then respond quickly after they had created an overlap that allowed Woollett to stroll in on the left to make it a nine point game.

In a frantic final ten minutes, George Davis managed to muscle over to extend the hosts’ lead but then Ryan Hutler hit back with another Jersey score.

With the clock moving into the red, Woollett added his second after an incredible length of the field effort, but ultimately it wasn’t enough as the Trailfinders were deservedly crowned champions.

Victorious Director of Rugby Ben Ward said: “I’m absolutely delighted for the boys to get that result.

“After the disappointment of three weeks ago, I think we needed this trophy more than they did and I’m so proud of all the players and staff.

“A word needs to go to Jersey for how well they’ve done this year, they’ve pushed us to be better and I’m looking forward to our battle next year.”

The Bread Street Kitchen & Bar Player of the Match was awarded to Luke Daniels.

The club would like to thank you for all your support throughout the season, in all 34 matches from Biarritz away in preseason, all the way through to today’s final! We look forward to seeing you again next season!

FULL TIME SCORE: EALING TRAILFINDERS 35-31 JERSEY REDS

T: Holmes 11’, 44’, Digby 62’, Bodilly 66’, G. Davis 73’

C: Daniels 11’, 44’, 62’ 66’, 73

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Ealing Trailfinders vs Doncaster Knights

Braces for Reuben Bird-Tulloch and Jonah Holmes saw Ealing Trailfinders cruise past Doncaster Knights 32-0 in the semi-final of the Championship Cup.

The victory now sets up a mouthwatering final against Jersey Reds, as the two best teams in the league go head to head for one last time this season.

After a scrappy start, which wasn’t helped by the torrential early conditions, Dan Lancaster worked some magic to create the first score after eight minutes. The fly-half put in a beautiful grubber behind the Doncaster defensive line which allowed Reuben Bird-Tulloch to kick it through before then diving on the ball to dot down. The extras were added by Luke Daniels on the day of his 100th appearance.

Over the next 20 minutes, Doncaster did well to stifle the host’s momentum, so after repeated kicks to the corner that were unsuccessful, Trailfinders settled for a penalty on the 25 minute mark to stretch their lead to two scores.

With the half hour mark approaching, Doncaster still hadn’t learnt their lesson about covering in behind! Lancaster this time chose to chip it, and Jonah Holmes didn’t even have to break stride as he regathered! The Welsh international fended off the fullback before scoring under the sticks.

Less than five minutes later, the hosts were in again! After great build-up play from the forwards, the ball found its way to Bird-Tulloch. The centre was able to jink inside and out to beautifully dot down for his brace.

With the clock running down in the first half Daniels added another penalty to make it Ealing Trailfinders 27-0 Doncaster Knights at the break.

After such an exciting first-half from the host’s perspective, the opening to the second 40 was much more muted. There were no scores during the opening twenty minutes, which saw Ollie Newman first sent to the bin for Trailfinders, and then Conor Davidson and then Jake Armstrong replaced him for the visitors shortly afterwards, after repeated penalties at the scrum.

Now down to 13 men, the Trailfinders really turned the screw. After winning the scrum against the head, the ball found it’s way to Holmes on the wing who looked to muscle over for his second. Initially it looked like the Knights were able to hold him up, but the winger did well to reach out and dot down to claim Trailfinders’ fourth try of the afternoon.

With ten minutes left to play, Doncaster threatened to claim a consolation score but the hosts did well to keep them out and make the full time score: Ealing Trailfinders 32-0 Doncaster Knights.

Victorious Director of Rugby Ben Ward said: “I thought the energy and application from our players was fantastic, the scrum was really strong and I thought we won those battles on the floor.

“I think we’re all really excited to face Jersey next season, it’s the two best teams in the league going head to head and it should be a cracker!”

You can watch the full interview with Ben Ward.

Full information about next weekend’s final and the details on date, time and location will be relayed ASAP, please keep an eye on our social media channels!

Full-time score: Ealing Trailfinders 32-0 Doncaster Knights

 

T: Bird-Tulloch 8, 33, Holmes 29, 71

C: Daniels 8, 29, 33

P: Daniels 25, 38

 

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Ealing Trailfinders vs Caldy

In their last league home game of the season, Ealing Trailfinders ran in 11 tries to stay a point ahead of Jersey Reds ahead of next week’s Championship decider on the island.

On the day of his 50th appearance for the club, Simon Uzokwe led the team out and then it took him only a minute to get the scoring underway. The openside ran the perfect support line after Jack Digby made a strong break and was able to muscle over.

Caldy however didn’t back down, and ten minutes later they levelled the scores up, as Louis Beer scored in the corner after the visitors made use of their overlap.

Despite this, Trailfinders reclaimed control of the game through Alun Walker, as the hooker claimed a brace inside five minutes. The first came on the back of a rolling maul and then the second saw him splinter off to crash over on his own!

On the 25th minute Reuben Birch dotted down from close range for the visitors, but this was where there scoring ended as Trailfinders were able to cut loose.

Luke Daniels grabbed his first just before the half hour mark and then with a few minutes left to play in the half, the hosts scored their best of the day. An intricate, pre-planned move saw Craig Hampson putting Andrew Davidson through a hole and the second-row was able to gallop in from 25 metres out.

Then, with the half-time whistle approaching, Max Bodilly made a delicious break before fending off the final defender to score. Steven Shingler added the conversion to the score Ealing Trailfinders 40-14 Caldy.

The second 40 didn’t start quite as quickly as the first, as it took ten minutes for replacement hooker Shaun Malton to grab his first. Caldy then had their best chance to score in the second-half, but the Trailfinders defence stood firm and then they completed the clearance by winning a big penalty at the scrum.

On the 65th minute mark, Malton added his second as he weaved in and out of the last few defenders to score.

Three minutes later, Daniels was on the end of a large overlap to cross in the corner, before intelligently scampering under the sticks to make his own conversion easier.

As the game drew to its conclusion, there was just about time for two late scores. First Dan Lancaster put a cross field kick to Jonah Holmes on a sixpence to allow the fullback to run in the try from halfway without even breaking stride.

Then, in the final play of the game, the ball found it’s way to Nathan Earle, and the winger accelerated clear to dot down on his return from injury.

The Bread Street Kitchen & Bar Player of the Match was awarded to Simon Uzokwe.

Tickets are now on sale for our Championship Cup Semi-Final against Doncaster Knights on Saturday 6th May 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 73-14 Caldy

T: Uzokwe 1, Walker 15, 20, Daniels 28, 68, Davidson 37, Bodilly 40, Malton 52, 65, Holmes 76, Earle 79

C: Shingler 1, 15, 20, 37, 40, Daniels 52, 65, 68, 76

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Ealing Trailfinders vs Cornish Pirates

A Will Davis brace helped Ealing Trailfinders to a dominant victory over Cornish Pirates at Trailfinders Sports Club.

In what was a close first half, the hosts were able to keep the visitors scoreless in the second 40 as they managed to break the half century with the final play of the game.

The win sees Trailfinders move six points clear at the top of the Championship table as they head into the final month of the season.

With a big crowd inside TFSC, the ‘Green and Whites’ took no time to fire into action, with Ollie Newman bursting through the Pirates defence to score unopposed after three minutes.

Three minutes after that, a silky first phase move almost saw Cian Kelleher go over in the corner, but the ball was quickly recycled and shifted to the far side allowing Alun Walker to crash over.

Then, with Pirates’ first attack of the game, Robin Wedlake went on a mazy run and managed to score in the far corner.

Trailfinders answered straight back just before the 20 minute mark, as Davis was able to bundle over from close after several effective pick and go phases from the forwards.

Pirates then got their second of the match after AJ Cant burst through the line and found Arthur Relton to allow the winger to make it 19-12.

It appeared that the scoring was done for the first half, but with the clock in the red, Pirates captain Rory Part was sent to the bin. Then off the following scrum, Harvey Beaton was also sent to the bin for repeated scrum penalties. Now being down to 13 men, Trailfinders swung the ball wide and Kelleher ran in unopposed.

In the second-half, it took the hosts only three minutes for Davis to grab his second, again bundling over from close range.

Then just after the 50 minute mark, a free-flowing move was finished off by Dan Lancaster putting in a cheeky grubber kick which allowed Pat Howard to dot down.

After a scrappy 20 minutes which followed this, James Cordy-Redden was able to bundle over for his sixth try of the month.

With a few minutes left to go, the latest graduate from the Trailfinders Rugby Academy at Brunel University, Lefty Zigiriadis came off the bench to make his first team appearance.

The final try of the day was potentially the best, as Trailfinders went the length of the pitch as Max Bodilly secured the eight try to put the cherry on top of an already impressive cake!

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Ealing Trailfinders vs London Scottish

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 vs Nottingham

A sensational first-half blitz saw the West Londoners secure the bonus point within 25 minutes and the 11-try victory now sees the Trailfinders return to the top of the pool 1.

The hosts came out of the blocks fast, with Cian Kelleher getting on the end of a beautifully weighted Dan Lancaster kick after just three minutes.

Then Walker scored two tries in ten minutes, both on the back of a rolling maul as the forwards looked to dominate the Archers.

On the 20 minute mark, the visitors managed to get on the scoresheet through Ryan Olowofela after Michael Stronge took a quick tap penalty and allowed the winger to run onto his grubber in behind.

But Trailfinders answered straight back as Uzokwe managed to secure the bonus point. Trailfinders’ fifth try was one of the best of the afternoon, as Steven Shingler regathered a chip in behind. As he was being tackled he threw a no look, reverse offload to put Reuben Bird-Tulloch under the sticks.

Bird-Tulloch then turned provider as he burst through the middle before offloading to Jordan Burns to score under the posts. Then with five minutes to go before the break, another well weighted Lancaster kick found Jonah Holmes to dot down in the corner.

On the stroke of half-time Will Montgomery crashed over for score number eight to make it Ealing Trailfinders 52-7 Nottingham.

The second-half saw a much improved Nottingham performance, but still they were unable to stop Kyle Whyte from crashing over five minutes into the half.

The next half-an-hour saw the game tighten up somewhat, as the defence from both sides got on top of the attack. It was on the 71st minute mark that this deadlock was broken again, as Max Bodilly spotted space in behind as he regathered his own kick to score.

With five minutes to go, Nottingham got their second score through Michael Green, as the centre bundled over after a strong rolling maul had come up just short.

Then, with time almost up, Uzokwe muscled over for his second to make the final score: Ealing Trailfinders 71-14 Nottingham.

Victorious Director of Rugby Ben Ward said: “I’m really pleased. After two defeats this sees us get back on track and I’m really satisfied both with the result and with our performance.”

Full-time Score: Ealing Trailfinders 71-14 Nottingham

T: Kelleher 3′, Walker 8′, 17′, Uzokwe 25′, 78′, Bird-Tulloch 30′, Burns 33′, Holmes 36′, Montgomery 40′, Whyte 45′, Bodilly 71′

C: Shingler 3′, 18′, 25′, 30, Lancaster 33′, 40′, 45′, 71′

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Ealing Trailfinders vs Coventry

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′

Ealing Trailfinders vs Ampthill

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 vs Jersey Reds

 

 

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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Ealing Trailfinders vs Bedford Blues

Braces from Carlo Tizzano and Shaun Malton helped Ealing Trailfinders continue their unbeaten run this season as they returned to the top of the Championship table after a 42-17 win over Bedford Blues.

It was a game that both sides took some time to build into, as the cold weather threatened to make handling difficult.

Bedford had deliberately picked four second-rows in their starting team in an attempt to try and stop the Ealing rolling maul which has been so effective so far this season, but on the tenth minute, the hosts muscled over with Malton dotting down to score the first try of the game.

After edging in front, the visitors managed to reclaim some momentum, and after knocking on the Ealing door for ten minutes or so, Grimoldby and Bedford took the points, to make it 7-3.

From that point until the half-time, it was all Ealing. A great passage of play that went from one touchline to the other eventually allowed Tizzano to power over from close range as the forward returned to the top of the Championship’s try-scoring charts just before the half hour.

Then five minutes later Ealing were in again. This time it was created through the boot of Craig Willis who found Malton on the end of his cross field kick. After plucking the ball out of the air, the hooker then dummied, broke down the wing before finding Howard on his inside to score Trailfinders’ third and make it 21-3 at the break.

After their disappointing first half, Bedford were quick out of the blocks in the second half as Matt Worley was on the end of a lovely backs move to get the Blues right back in the contest.

The hosts responded quickly however, first through Tizzano who scored after breaking off the back of a rolling maul, and then Malton was able to score a beauty of his own.

After a kick to the corner, Ealing faked the rolling maul and spun it wide. The hooker received the ball midway through a beautiful outside arch and despite being caught 5m from the line, was able to muscle his way over.

Bedford did respond through a good solo try from Jake Garside, but the final score of the game went to substitute Cam Terry, who managed to pounce on a loose ball near the Bedford try line and bundle his way over.

After his two scores and a strong all round performance, the Bread Street Cafe Player of the Match was awarded to Shaun Malton.

Full-time Score: Ealing Trailfinders XX-XX Bedford Blues

T: Malton 6′ 48′, Tizzano 27′, 44′, Howard 34′, Terry 74′

C: Willis 6′, 27′, 34′. 48′, Shingler 74′

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