Author Archives: Paul Clarke

Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV produced a ruthless performance to comprehensively beat Sedgley Park 59-17 at Vallis Way. Having lost their two previous games one might expect the home side to be edgy and nervous, however these conceptions were quickly dispelled as Ealing Trailfinders began the game at a ferocious and physical intensity. The home side raced into a 14-0 lead thanks to a debut try for Adam Preocanin and Sam Wardingley scoring after the winger collected a perfectly placed Ander Henderson grubber-kick. Ronald Mclean-Dents successfully slotted both conversions. Sedgley Park hit back against the run of play as John Bishop crashed over after a powerful line-out drive. A well-read line-out steal from Gavin Curry saw the ball move swiftly through the hands before Wadingley waltzed over for his second of the day taking Ealing Trailfinders into a 19-5 lead. As the game progressed, the home sides forwards began to stamp their authority on the game, as their scrum in particular put heavy pressure on the Manchurian outfit. It was as a result of a supremely dominate scrum that allowed No.8 Sam Shires to dot the ball over the line as the Ealing Trailfinders forwards marched forward with effortless ease. Mclean-Dents’ conversion gave the home side a 26-5 lead going into the interval.

The second half saw the Ealing Trailfinders team continue in the same vein as they strung together barnstorming phases to continually breach the advantage line. After a run of phase play, Shires made an impressive break before off-loading to Wadingley who sprinted to the line to seal his hat-trick. The Ealing Trailfinders defence was proving an immovable object to a Sedgley Park side short of confidence and attacking ideas. However, a burst of individual brilliance by Simon Parrot saw Park register their second try of the game. An innocuous kick was gathered by the full-back who chipped a defender and used his footballing skills to kick the ball into his hands before sprinting 30 yards to the try-line to reduce the arrears to 33-10. Two further well-worked converted tries put Ealing Trailfinders firmly in the ascendancy. Firstly, Henderson marked his return from injury with a deserved score before McLean –Dents collected a kick from Peter Hodgkinson to stretch Ealing Trailfinders lead to 47-10. Sedgley Park hit back through a converted Chris Parrot try but their tiring bodies could do nothing about a final flurry from the scintillating Ealing Trailfinders. Wardingley capped off a memorable day as he bagged a further two tries to take his tally to a remarkable five on the day, which led to a deserved man of the match award.
 

Ealing Trailfinders will be hoping for a repeat performance when they travel to an in-form Loughborough Students side next week.

Ealing Trailfinders return home to Vallis Way for their big Christmas game against Cambridge RFC on the 15th December, to find out more click here
 

Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV suffered their second defeat of the season as they narrowly lost a nail-biting contest to Blaydon. Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV fought back valiantly in the second half but were unable to stop the Newcastle outfit from completing the second victory in two seasons at Crow Trees.

Ealing Trailfinders looked to rectify the previous weeks defeat by beginning the game with pace and power as their runners were getting over the gain-line with ease. Owen Bruynseels crashed over early in the game for a converted try as the visiting side made an encouraging start to the battle of the early season National 1 front-runners. The home side immediately struck back as a quick tap caught Ealing Trailfinders off-guard before the ball was swiftly recycled to Gavin Jones to touch down in the corner with fly-half Andrew Baggett slotting the difficult conversion. Blaydon continued to mount pressure on the visiting side and they enhanced their lead thanks to a converted try by Charles Inceldon. The manner of the score will frustrate the West London outfit as Ealing Trailfinders tackling left a lot to be desired as Blaydon cruised through the midfield from first phase possession. Ealing Trailfinders responded in the best way possible by producing a carbon-copy of the try they conceded just minutes earlier. A simple move from the scrum saw Sam Wardingley burst through the defence and into space before passing to Peter Hodgkinson who raced to the line to score. Thomas Wheatcroft’s conversion levelled the scores at 14 apiece. Having worked tirelessly to level the game up, Ealing Trailfinders will be with be furious that another defensive error allowed Nathan Bailey to score his side’s third try of the game with only 19 minutes played. A Wheatcroft penalty reduced the deficit to 21-17 as the visitors seemed determined to retake the lead as the game progressed. Ealing Trailfinders looked to be gaining momentum in the Balydon half, before disaster struck. The home side forced a turn-over and kicked the ball downfield into acres of space. A fortunate bounce saw the ball fall into the hands of Bagget who passed to Frazer Wilson to sprint in from the half way line. Blaydon went into half-time having secured the bonus point and leading 28-17.

Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV got off to the worst possible start to a second half they needed to win convincingly to have any chance of clinching the victory. Having successfully defended a set of phases, Blaydon’s second row Dave Hamilton burst through to score. Bagget’s successful conversion took the score to a daunting 35-17 as the visitors had the biggest of mountains to climb to stand any chance. Ealing Trailfinders showed tremendous character to launch a determined comeback in a scintillating finale of rugby. Hodgkinson got the ball rolling as his second try of the game was converted by Wheatcroft, before the fly-half nailed a penalty to take the score to 35-27 with less than 20 minutes remaining. Replacement second row Gavin Curry then brushed aside two Blaydon tacklers on his way to the try line, as the converted score took Ealing Trailfinders to within a point at 35-34. Ealing Trailfinders bombarded the Blaydon try-line, as they camped in the hosts 22 for the remaining 10 minutes of the game. The Ealing Trailfinders comeback fell just short as they were unable to penetrate their line when it mattered most.

This Saturday, 17th November, Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV return to Vallis Way where they will face The Sedgley Park Tigers. To find out more about this game and the fantastic family offer click here
 

Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end on Saturday as a determined Old Albanians outfit staged a second half comeback to inflict a first defeat for the National 1 league leaders. Both sides expressed a desire to play an attacking style of rugby in the opening quarter, with Ealing Trailfinders shading the visitors in opportunities created. Despite the attacking willingness of the two teams, the game remained scoreless due to unwavering defence from Ealing Trailfinders and Old Albanians and an inability for either side to convert sustained pressure into points. A Ben Ward penalty, given for Old Albanians being off-side, opened the scoring in the 20th minute and seemed to spark the home side into life. From the restart, Phil Chesters collected and jinked his way past several defenders to give Ealing Trailfinders the necessary impetus. The ball moved swiftly through hands to the right wing as Owen Bruynseels’ impressive run had the visitors panicking before centre Sam Wardingly finished off a great team try with a powerful burst to the line. Wards successful conversion gave the hosts a warranted 10-0 lead. It appeared Ealing Trailfinders were going to run away with the match as all facets of their game, particularly their powerful scrum, was enabling the home side to be in total command. An innocuous kick downfield was brilliantly snaffled from the air by Ronald McLean-Dents who off-loaded to Anders Nilsson before the ever-present flanker swung the ball to Chesters who raced over to score the unconverted try. Old Albanians hit back through winger Ollie Marchon who scored after a sweeping move saw him put into space for an unconverted try. Ealing Trailfinders responded in clinical fashion. After a bout of phase play, replacement fly-half Rory Damant, on for the injured Ward who was taken off with a serious hand injury, exploited weak defending to slide through two defenders to score under the posts. McLean-Dents slotted the simple conversion to give the hosts a healthy 22-5 lead going into the break.

OA’s needed a good start to the second half to stand a chance of having a say in the game, and that’s exactly what they got. Stringing a host of multi-phase attacks together, OA’s began to put the home sides defence under pressure. After numerous pick and go’s, Matt Chambers appeared from the malaise on Ealing Trailfinders try line as his sides try-scorer. Lawrence Rayner’s conversion reduced the deficit to 22-12. A Mclean-Dents penalty was quickly cancelled out by a well-worked try finished off by player-coach James Shanahan. OA’s turned the screw once more with Shanahan beginning to orchestrate matters from fly-half. It was a half break and pass from Shanahan to Rayner that saw the visitors claw their way back into a game that at one stage looked dead and buried. Rayner converted his own try to leave the scores finely posed at 25-24 with the visitors building momentum. For the remainder of the game OA’s camped in the home sides half in search of the match-winning points. Despite resilient Ealing Trailfinders defending, Old Albanians’ Sam Collins finished a fine back-line move from first phase possession to touch down in the corner. Rayner’s conversion went wide but the impressive OA’s comeback was good enough to take the game.

This week Ealing Trailfinders make the long trip north to play Blaydon before returning to Vallis Way on the 17th November where they host Sedgely Park. To find out more about the next home game click here. 

Ealing Trailfinders back row Lee Starling gives us an insight into his personality with a 10 question video interview. Lee is Sponsored by Fraser Randall

Recording their 8th win of the season and in the process attaining the significant bonus-point , Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV remain firmly top of National 1. The 41-17 score-line, deserving as it was, does not do justice the effort a tenacious Wharfedale outfit showed on a chilly autumnal day in Yorkshire.

It was the home side, registering impressive wins over Fylde and Esher in the early part of the season, which opened the scoring thanks to a penalty from Wharfedale’s full-back Tom Davidson. The opening quarter was a lively affair as both teams’ harboured ambitions to attack with intensity. Having weathered a dangerous passage of play from the home side, ETRC settled into their brand of rugby. A turnover at the line-out enabled the ball to be moved to Phil Chesters before the flying winger chipped the full-back and gathered to score ETRC’s first try of the game. Tom Wheatcroft made no mistake with the conversion to take the score to 7-3. ETRC looked threatening out wide but were made to rue missed chances due to errors in the contact area and falling foul of referee Tom Davis. An indiscretion at the line-out provided Davidson with another penalty opportunity, which he kicked to reduce the arrears to within a point. A powerful ETRC drive from a line-out was illegally brought down and gave Mr Davis no option but to award a penalty try which Wheatcroft easily converted. ETRC strung together several energy-sapping phases before flanker Karl Gibson exposed the Wharfedale defence to burst round the edge of the ruck to dot down under the posts. Wheatcroft’s conversion gave the Trailfinders a healthy 21-6 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the half. The home side hit back immediately through the trusty boot of Davidson, as ETRC were penalised at the scrum in their own half.

Wharfedale started the second half promisingly as a bout of phase-play piled the pressure on the Ealing Trailfinders line. That pressure eventually paid dividends as the visitors were penalised for being off-sides in midfield and Davidson successfully slotted his 4th penalty of the game to take the score to 21-12. ETRC responded in clinical fashion to earn their bonus-point. A well-chased Ben Ward kick was brilliantly turned over by Ronald McLean-Dents who spotted that Davidson was horribly isolated. From the ruck, the ball was quickly passed to replacement centre Sam Wardingley who paced to the line untouched, as Wharfedale struggled to get back in defence. Ward, taking over the kicking duties from the injured Wheatcroft, nailed the conversion to pull Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV 28-12 ahead. Unperturbed by the daunting task ahead of them, Wharfedale fashioned an immediate response when they took advantage of an indecisive ETRC kick-off. Wharfedale moved the turned-over ball swiftly through the hands to winger Simon Horsfall who scored in the corner. With the bonus-point secured, Ward kicked a penalty to extend ETRC’s lead to 31-17. The visitors wrapped the game up after a barnstorming run to the try- line by replacement second row Simon Gaynor and a further penalty from Ward.

Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV return to Vallis Way this Saturday to face the Hertfordshire side, Old Albanian, in what is set to be another great southern derby. To find out more about the game click here. 

The Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV beat a resolute Esher outfit to secure their seventh victory of the season and stay top of National 1. On a mild autumn day at Vallis Way, it was Esher who began the match the brighter of the two sides as a fantastic break in the opening minute by fly-half Gareth Morgan had the Ealing Trailfinders retreating and forced to defend their line. The momentum both sides are known for creating was being halted by ill-discipline as penalties against both teams was all too prevalent in the opening stanzas. Once the game settled down it was Ealing Trailfinders who began to string a run of phases together, and almost scored after an audacious Peter Hodgkinson off-load metres from the try-line failed to go to hand. The Ealing Trailfinders pack were firmly stamping their authority on the game with a host of powerful driving line-outs and scrums. An Esher scrum infringement allowed last week’s penalty hero Thomas Wheatcroft to kick the first points of the day. Esher full-back Robert Kirby replied immediately when he struck over a penalty for an Ealing tackler deemed too slow to roll away. Ealing Trailfinders were looking dangerous with ball in hand as they cleverly combined barnstorming forward runners with the guile of their quick and opportunistic backline to cause the visitors problems. The dependable Wheatcroft added two more penalties to give his side a 9-3 lead. As an attritional first half was drawing to a close, Esher were refusing to lie down as ex-Ealing Trailfinders player Jack Clifford and former-Saracens second-row Kris Chesney were increasingly coming to the fore. On the stroke of half-time Referee Terry Hall penalised Ealing for being off-side and Kirby obliged to take the score to 9-6.

Ealing Trailfinders had a dream start to the second half when Phil Chesters crossed for the first try of the game. The hosts managed to successfully turnover Esher’s ball before Ben Ward’s precise grubber kick was collected by the speedster to score. Wheatcroft’s conversion enhanced the West London side’s lead to 16-6. Kirby and then Wheatcroft traded penalties as Ealing Trailfinders were looking comfortable holding onto their 19-9 lead. However, Ealing Trailfinder’s scrum dominance was gradually beginning to falter as Esher’s reinforcements were making their mark. Esher struck back and was right in the game thanks to Joseph Brown’s try. Esher duplicated the home side’s opening try as replacement fly-half Chris Elder judged his cross-field kick to perfection as Brown touched down just before Chesters managed to get there first. Having been in control of proceedings and led for over an hour of the game, Ealing Trailfinders surprisingly found themselves trailing 21-19. Replacement prop Kyle Sinckler, impressive since his arrival to the game, burst through a gap at the ruck on the 22 metre line to score under the posts. Kirby’s conversion confirmed that Ealing needed to score to retake the lead. It was a case of déjà vu as Chesters was once again on hand to score the crucial try. Ward and Chesters combined in identical fashion to the opening try to once again give Ealing Trailfinders the lead in this absorbing contest. Wheatcroft’s flawless kicking display took the score to 26-21 with just under 10 minutes remaining. Ealing Trailfinders showed tremendous defensive commitment to weather an Esher attacking storm that threatened to steal a late try. In an anxious finale, relief was clear to see on Ealing Trailfinders faces as Brown knocked on with the try line begging with the last play of the game.

Ealing Trailfinders will be hoping to continue their fine form when they travel to Wharfedale this Saturday before returning to Vallis Way on the 3rd November where they will face the St Albans based Old Albanian side who won the 2011/12 National 2 South league.
 

Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV continued their fantastic start to the season with a thrilling 42-41 victory over London rivals Blackheath. In a game where the lead changed hand on numerous occasions, it took a last minute penalty kick from Thomas Wheatcroft to secure the hard-fought victory for the visitors.

Wheatcroft opened the scoring for the West London outfit after a stunning break from Peter Hodkinson allowed Ealing Trailfinders (ETRC)to exert pressure on Blackheath’s try-line. ETRC early lead did not last long as Blackheath hit straight back with a try from No.8 Jonathan West. Former Gloucester fly-half Rory Teague was unable to add the extras. ETRC announced themselves into the game with a superb wonder try from Phil Chesters. Having received the ball just outside his 22m line, the left winger sprinted pass his opposing winger before chipping the full-back and gathering to score under the posts. Wheatcroft’s conversion took ETRC into a 10-5 lead. ETRC will be disappointed with the ease in which Blackheath scored their second try to retake the lead. A simple backline move from first phase possession saw full-back Geoff Griffiths burst through the line to score under the posts. Teague’s successful conversion confirmed the home side’s 12-10 lead. A Wheatcroft penalty and an instinctive break from the scrum from No.8 Sam Shires made it 18-12 to the visitors. A penalty for accidental off sides from the restart and a long-range drop kick enabled Teague to level the scores at 18 apiece before Wheatcroft’s penalty on the stroke of half-time gave ETRC the all-important advantage going into the break.

Another well-struck Wheatcroft penalty in the opening minute of the second half stretched Ealing Trailfinders lead to 24-18. Blackheath came back again through Daniel Hamilton’s sharp break down the short side after his forwards provided the pulsating momentum. Teague’s conversion restored Blackheath’s lead to 25-24. The lead once again changed hands as the metronomic Whreatcroft slotted another penalty before Owen Bruynseels gathered a well-weighted Ben Ward kick to score in the corner to restore ETRC’s lead to 32-25. Two Teague penalties brought the scores to within a point before a well-worked converted try finished off by Ronald Mclean-Dents seemed to have put the visitors in a strong position with 15 minutes remaining. Teague’s 4th penalty of the afternoon reduced the deficit to 39-34 as Blackheath seemed to be gaining a new lease of life as the game was nearing its completion.

Ealing Trailfinders were forced to defend their line valiantly for large stages of the game before another first phase move saw Griffiths stroll over to score and level the game with an easy conversion to come. Teague’s impressive kicking display continued as his conversion looked to have broken Ealing Trailfinders hearts and sealed the win for Blackheath. However, the Blackheath fly-half went from hero to villain as a high tackle on McLean-Dents resulted in a yellow-card and more importantly a penalty for the league leaders. Wheatcroft, seemingly the coolest person at the ground, stepped up and struck over the winning penalty with just seconds remaining in the game to continue Ealing’s unbeaten run in National 1.

You can see Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV in action at Vallis Way this Saturday as they take on last year’s Championship side Esher in a 1st v 3rd showdown. To find out more click here
 

Ealing Trailfinders second row Jack Fishwick gives us an insight into his personality with a 10 question video interview. Jack is Sponsored by club Patron Rhidian Jones

Ealing Trailfinders 1st XV were made to work hard for their 36-31 victory against a resolute Fylde team at Vallis Way. The home side enhanced their position at the top of the National 1 table despite having to withstand a second half blitz by the visitors.

Ealing Trailfinders had been guilty of starting slowly in recent weeks, but there was no evidence of that in the opening exchanges. A sweeping move where forwards and backs combined in getting the home side over the gain line led to the ball switching to Owen Bruynseels to score. In the 10th minute Ealing Trailfinders were rocked when Fylde second row Paul Arnold burst through flimsy Ealing Trailfinders tackling to score his side’s first try, with Chris Johnson adding the extras. The home side was proving dangerous as their attacking intent led to Fylde giving away a cynical penalty at the breakdown, which Thomas Wheatcroft converted to restore the lead. Ealing Trailfinders were firing on all cylinders, with Peter Hodgkinson looking particular sharp on his return from an ankle injury. From a dominate Ealing Trailfinders scrum, the ball moved swiftly through the hands to Hodgkinson who beat the last defender to score. Wheatcroft’s successful conversion enhanced the West London side’s lead to 15-7. Ealing Trailfinders were continuing to bombard Fylde’s line and only a string of handling errors and penalties were preventing them from scoring a handful of tries. The home side did manage to convert their continued pressure into points as a poor clearance into the grateful hands of Phil Chesters saw him sprint into the open space before off-loading to Bruynseels to cross for his second try. Wheatcroft’s well-struck touchline conversion gave Ealing Trailfinders a well-deserved 22-7 lead. Fylde came back strongly and it needed an excellent tackle from Hodgkison and a try-saving turnover from Gavin Curry to prevent them from scoring. Johnson reduced the deficit when he slotted a penalty just before the interval to make it 22-10.

Ealing Trailfinders began the second half impressively as a fine move between the backs almost led to Hodgkinson going over to score. Against the run of play, Arnold again exposed some weak Ealing Trailfinders tackling as he broke through the defensive line and almost ran the length of the field to score. From the ensuing breakdown scrum-half Ryan De La Harpe snuck over from close range to score. De La Harpe converted his own try to take the score to 22-17. The home side were again camped in the Fylde half and will be disappointed not to make the most of their territorial dominance. They were punished for their inability to convert their pressure as a fantastic counter-attacking break from replacement winger Oli Brennand enabled De La Harpe to go over for his second try of the game. The scrum-half converted to give the visiting side a surprising 24-22 lead with a quarter of the game remaining.

Ealing Trailfinders replied instantly through hooker Richard Townsend and then replacement prop Lewis Brown, both tries converted by Wheatcroft to restore the home sides lead to 36-24. Fylde showed their resilient character as they came back and scored to give them hope of sealing an unlikely victory. Arnold was the beneficiary of a powerful driving line-out as his second try of the game was converted by De La Harpe to reduce the arrears within a converted try to win the game. Ealing Trailfinders managed to hold on for the final 5 minutes of the game to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

Ealing Trailfinders travel to Blackheath this Saturday (13/10/12) before returning home to Vallis Way to face last season’s Championship side Esher (20/10/12) in what is set to be a classic London derby. To find out more click here