Author Archives: Paul Clarke

Ealing Trailfinders captain Adam Preocanin has called on fans to turn out in force on Saturday for the match with Bristol and end an historic year for the club in style.

“Well, it’s almost Christmas and the squad have been on a bit of a journey since we first got together at the beginning of June.

A continuation of last year’s winning ways extended into pre-season but times got tough as we started the season in earnest.

We played some good, bad and ugly rugby at times, but all the while we were searching for the first Trailfinders win.

Thankfully it came a few weeks ago against Jersey and you can count yourself lucky if you were a supporter there to witness it.

A return to league fixtures this Saturday sees us host Bristol, a club with a long rugby pedigree, in what will be a big occasion for the squad and supporters alike.

This time last year we played away in a top of the table clash at Rosslyn Park. The weather was atrocious, which made for nervous viewing but the support was fantastic (I think we actually out-numbered the home supporters). In the end, Tom Wheatcroft’s last-minute penalty drew the game but the Trailfinders’ faithful certainly played their part.

We expect Bristol to bring huge numbers to Vallis Way this Saturday, so I’m calling for the Green Army to turn out en-masse and join us for a beer after the game. It’s the last rugby before Christmas so let’s ring in the festivities in a noisy fashion and get some points!

I hope to see you there…”

Adam

Ealing Trailfinders are delighted to announce the signing of Romanian international hooker Andrei Radoi.

The 26-year-old joins from Bucharest Wolves, has signed with the club until the end of the season and makes a start on the bench at home to Bristol Rugby on Saturday.

“I am delighted to have joined Ealing Trailfinders and play in England, the home of rugby,” Radoi said. “It is a dream of every player in Romania to play in a competition as competitive as the Greene King IPA Championship and I am sure I can help Ealing and use the experience I have gained playing for Romania and in the Amlin Challenge Cup.”

Radoi hails from Baia Mare and has played 30 times for the Romanian national team. He won his first cap against the Czech Republic in 2008 and came off the bench for Romania’s most recent Test at home to Fiji in November.

He came through the Romanian age-grade teams, featured for the U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 teams and won the European Championships at U20 and U21 level.

Radoi previously played in England for Bucharest Wolves, the Romanian-select team that competes in the Amlin Challenge Cup. He was part of the team that played against Bath at the Recreation Ground and in total he has played 22 times in the Challenge Cup.

“We have had a couple of long term injuries to our hookers so we were looking to bring someone in,” Ealing Director of Rugby said. “Andrei was available and we are very happy to have signed someone with his experience and quality.”

Watch the video to see Andrei in action

It may have taken Ronnie McLean a few matches to score his first try of the season, but when he did it came at a vitally important time against Moseley last Friday.

The centre crossed the line just before the half-hour mark and with Ben Ward’s conversion it put Ealing Trailfinders 18-6 ahead at half-time and well on course for their first home victory of the season.

“I was on zero for quite while, so it is good to finally get a try under my belt for the season,” he said.

“Last week was slightly disappointing. After the Jersey match we were looking to bounce back and get a bit of momentum, but it is good to get that win under our belt and start pushing forward and get going in the league.”

The win in the British and Irish Cup was Ealing’s first in three attempts against the side from the West Midlands. In November they lost 15-6 at home and then a young team went down 28-10 at Billesley Common a week ago.

In the first half Ealing strung together a number of phases involving backs and forwards that allowed them to break the Moseley defence and also resulted in a try for fullback Andrew Henderson.

“We were a lot more clinical,” the Los Angeles-born McLean said. “The first game we played there were still a few teething problems and last week I think things just weren’t working, but this week I think things started to click and we made a lot less mistakes.

“The backs really got some ball today and that all came from the set-piece the lineout and the scrums were pretty effective.

A third Ward penalty shortly after half-time was enough to keep Moseley at arm’s length as they mounted a late comeback.

The commitment of the team also shone through and allowed them to finish with the win. Scrum-half Morgan Thompson played on despite receiving a blow to the head, while McLean raced half the pitch to stop Simon Hunt late on after the Moseley wing had broken the defence and was closing in on the try-line.

“I was just thinking we can’t let them score,” he said. “It was a do or die attitude. If he had gone onto score they could have gone on to win. Everyone’s commitment was brilliant today and that is what we need every week.”

Ealing Trailfinders gained their first home win of the season with a well-deserved victory over Moseley in the British and Irish Cup.

It was the third time this season that they have met the side from south Birmingham and the second at Vallis Way, but this time Mike Cudmore’s team ended victorious thanks to tries from Andrew Henderson and Ronnie McLean and 11 points from Ben Ward’s boot.

Moseley fly-half Scott Browne missed an early penalty, but made amends a few minutes later to open the scoring. It lasted less than a minute after good defence from Sam Wilkes forced the visitors into conceding a penalty of their own that Ben Ward slotted.

The next score went to Ealing. A lineout from a penalty in the Moseley half gave Ealing the chance to attack. First they forced the play down the right, through forwards Adam Preocanin, George Merrick and Ed Siggery and then when the ball came back down the left Ward picked out Henderson, who raced into the corner to score.

The visitors hit back and used the power of flanker Buster Lawrence and second-row Nigel Burrows to try to find a way through, but when Number 8 Sean O’Connell broke off the back of a scrum, the hosts were able to go on the counter-attack.

Ward’s cross-kick gave Chesters the chance to stretch his legs and O’Connell was stopped short. When Moseley were penalised at the breakdown captain Preocanin pointed to the posts and Ward stretched the lead further.

Horne hit a second penalty on half-hour mark to reduce the arrears, but once again Ealing responded with a try as McLean popped up on O’Connell’s corner to dive over for his first of the season that Ward converted from the touchline.

Ward grabbed the first points of the second half with a penalty and the forwards continued to provide a platform with the likes of Camilo Parilli-Ocampo and Steve Pape attacking the Moseley line with gusto.

Moseley reserve prop Rhys Buckley went over for a try but d after the west Midlanders sent on reinforcements they were unable to find a way through. McLean raced back to stop wing Simon Hunt as he broke away close to the final whistle and though Greg King closed the gap to three with a try that Olly Robinson converted, it was the last play of the match.

Ealing Trailfinders
Andrew Henderson, Chris Kinloch, Ronnie McLean, Tom Bedford, Phil Chesters, Ben Ward, Morgan Thompson, Steve Neville, Sam Wilkes, Jordan Saunders, Steve Pape, George Merrick, Adam Preocanin (captain), Ed Siggery, Sean O Connell
Reserves
Cody Blackhurst, Darryl Marfo, Camilo Ocampo, Mat Evans, Sam Hocking, Simon Sexton, Tom Wheatcroft
Moseley
Mike Penn, Scott Armstrong, Greg King, Will Owen, Simon Hunt, Scott Browne, Alex Day, Semisi Taulava, Joseph Carpenter, Buster Lawrence, Mike Powell, Nigel Burrows, Ben Evans, Will Evans, Stefan Thorp
Reserves
Craig Voisey, Rhys Buckley, Adam Parkins, Neil Mason, Olly Robinson, David Brazier, Caolan Ryan

Flying wings Phil Chesters (left) and Chris Kinloch will be out to continue their vein of try-scoring form from recent weeks when Moseley visit in the British and Irish Cup on Friday.

The match will be preceded by a minute of silence for Brian Taylor, a long-time supporter of the club who sadly died this week.

Between them Chesters and Kinloch have scored four tries in the last three matches; Chesters grabbed a brace in the Greene King IPA Championship victory over Jersey, while Kinloch opened his account against London Scottish in the league and grabbed a second of the season in the away match with Moseley last Friday.

Chesters will start on the left and Kinloch on the right, with centres Ronnie McLean and Tom Bedford between them.

In the pack George Merrick makes his home debut after a first start of the season away to Moseley last time out. The on-loan Harlequins second-row was a continual nuisance around the field and will make up one half of a powerful engine room with Steve Pape (right).

Captain Adam Preocanin moves back to flanker and forms a back-row trio with Number 8 Sean O’Connell and Ed Siggery.

Last week hooker Cody Blackhurst and scrum-half Simon Sexton made their Ealing debuts after coming on as second half reserves and they now have the chance to make their first appearances at Vallis Way having been given the number 16 and 21 shirts for a second consecutive week.

Ealing Trailfinders v Moseley, Friday 13 December, KO 19.45
15 Andrew Henderson
14 Chris Kinloch
13 Ronnie McLean
12 Tom Bedford
11 Phil Chesters
10 Ben Ward
9 Morgan Thompson
1 Steve Neville
2 Sam Wilkes
3 Jordan Saunders
4 Steve Pape
5 George Merrick
6 Adam Preocanin (captain)
7 Ed Siggery
8 Sean O Connell
Reserves
16 Cody Blackhurst
17 Darryl Marfo
18 Camilo Ocampo
19 Mat Evans
20 Sam Hocking
21 Simon Sexton
22 Tom Wheatcroft

Having played Moseley twice this season and lost on both occasions Ealing Trailfinders’ Tom Wheatcroft is determined to help his side end their run against the team from the west Midland this Friday.

Former Ireland international Kevin Maggs’ brings his team to Vallis Way a week after they won 28-10 at Billesley Common in the third set of pool matches in the British and Irish Cup. On their previous visit to W13 they left with a 15-6 victory in the Greene King IPA Championship, a match in which Wheatcroft kicked two penalties.

“We’ve played them twice and we know what they are going to bring,” he said. “I think on Friday we didn’t play smart and work at their weaknesses.

“This week we know where the areas to target are and we need to exploit that. It will have been a hard week’s training this week to prepare us for Friday.”

The two matches against Moseley have been memorable for the former Cambridge player. In the first he was voted Ealing’s man of the match, while in the second he started the match at fullback and then moved forward to fly-half.

In a team containing five players making their Ealing debut and one making his first start the 25-year-old Wheatcroft had to take on greater responsibility, helping guide the younger players through their first steps in senior, professional rugby.

“I think last Friday was the first time I ever felt like an old boy,” he said. “There were a lot of youngsters around and it is great for them to learn some game management. It was good in a different role, stepping up and trying to lead these youngsters through.

“We did get message on talking about where they are weak and that is what I tried to do, stepping up the tempo to exploit their weaknesses and there were times when we did.

“Twelve is my main position, but to get in the team, I don’t care where I play; I did enjoy fly-half last week, but I think 12 is my strongest position.”

Ealing Trailfinders are delighted to announce that Richard Palframan has joined on loan from London Irish for the rest of the season.

The South African prop forward recently made his debut off the bench in the away match against Moseley in the British and Irish Cup and he has been settling into life at Vallis Way.

“We are pleased to have been able to secure Richard on loan from London Irish,” Director of Rugby Mike Cudmore said. “He is a very exciting prospect and we are looking forward to working with him.”

Palframan has been with the Exiles since the start of last season and he has appeared off the bench for the Sunbury-based side in the Amlin Challenge Cup and the LV=Cup this season.

The 19-year-old learned his rugby at Rondebosch High School and played for the academy at Durban-based Super Rugby franchise the Sharks before he moved to London Irish.

He hails from strong sporting stock; his father Steve played seven One Day Internationals for South Africa’s cricket team, including the 1996 ICC World Cup.

“I am very happy to have the chance to develop my game further at Ealing Trailfinders,” Palframan said. “They come highly recommended by the coaches at London Irish and I am sure I will enjoy my time here.

“I will have the chance to gain regular match experience in a tough league such as the Greene King IPA Championship. Everyone has helped me settle in and I am looking forward to paying back that welcome on the field.”

Watch the video below to see Richard in action