Author Archives: Paul Clarke

REPORT: Ealing Trailfinders 72 – 34 Canterbury

106 points scored at Vallis Way on Saturday, much better entertainment that what was on offer at Twickenham many may feel?

Despite scoring 11 tries in overcoming Canterbury, Ealing’s Director of Rugby Mike Cudmore will be disappointed that Canterbury crossed the Ealing line of six occasions. Ealing went into the game with the best defensive record in N2S – having had only 179 points scored against them.

Mike said ”In attack we produced a very good performance which reflects in the score line. We were not happy conceding the amount of tries we did and also some of our game management in the second half was not at the level we expect."

He continued, “It would have been easy to ignore this and focus on the win and the large score line but all the coaches and players at the club are honest and know we need to always look at the areas to work on so that we can strive for an all-round performance every game we play”.

The day started dull in West London, an early morning pitch inspection passed the Vallis Way surface fit to play, and come noon the sun came out and the surface looked in great condition.

Standoff Neil Hallett, deputising for Ben Ward, started the ball rolling with a neatly struck penalty after four minutes. It was then the league’s top try scorer Phil Chesters opening up just outside the visitors 22m line, rounding his win for his 19th try of the season. Hallett added the conversion and Ealing were 10-0 ahead after eight minutes.

Young centre Sam Wardingley was next on this try scoring list for the first of his hat trick of tries with a neat cross field kick from Neil Hallett as he ran the ball into the corner, as Ealing went into over drive, scoring two tries in three minutes.

Ealing U20 hooker Rob Buchanan then scored the try of the day! Receiving the ball on the half way line, he sidestepped, yes a sidestepping hooker, he sidestepped two would be defenders and then beat the city sides full back Carlton Littlechild for pace to score under the posts. With Hallets’s conversion, Ealing were 22-0 ahead after 14 minutes.

Canterbury’s own try scoring machine, flanker Peter Kelly got one back for the city side, he too was to go on to grab two further tries, from his traditional catch and drive. Fly half Tom Best’s conversion put the score back to 22-7 after 18 minutes. The rugby on offer certainly kept the crowd warm on a chilly afternoon.

Wardingley’s second try came on 24 minutes. A quick dart from scrum half Morgan Thompson set up a ruck midfield and quick hands saw Wardingley beat his centre and cross to the left of the posts. Hallett’s conversion sailed over the posts. Canterbury’s Matt Sheen added another score on 28 minutes, and Wardingley completed his first half hat trick on 39 minutes and Ealing went into the half time break 36-12 ahead with the four try bonus point in the bag.

Canterbury began the second half on the front foot. Flanker George Micans spotted a gap on the blind side and went over on 41 minutes to bring Canterbury back to 36-17.

Compared to the first half the second half was a scrappy stop start affair. Chesters went over for his second try of the day on 53 minutes, flanker Karl Gibson crossed after 58 minutes and with Hallett’s conversion Ealing were forging ahead at 48-17.

Mike Cudmore then introduced two new signings Ronald McLean-Dents for his first start of the year, replacing Phil Chesters, whilst Tyler Edwards came on for Ryan Gregory.

The final quarter of the game saw Ealing go in for four further tries as first Owen Bruynseels on 61 minutes, Blair Morris on his return to 1st XV action on 69 minutes, Neil Hallett on 75 minutes and finally Joe Price on 79 minutes completed the 11 try rout. Canterbury’s open side did claim two tries to complete his own hat Rick but in truth Ealing were never in trouble with far too much fire power for the City side.

Skipper Neil Hallett said afterwards, “Whilst it great to score 72 points, we will look hard at the reasons why we conceded six against. We set high standards so the guys were not happy afterwards. Each week presents a new challenge and now we have to look to this coming weekend and Dings, weather permitting! Despite their loss to Richmond, Landseer Avenue is a tough place to go to and get a result. They don’t drop too many points at home, so we will need to dig in for another battle."

Ealing are again on the road, when the travel to Bristol to face eighth placed Dings Crusaders. Never an easy place to travel to.

Ealing Trailfinders

15 – Pete Hodgkinson 14 – Owen Bruynseels, 13 – Sam Wardingley, 12 – Joe Price, 11 – Phil Chesters, 10 – Neil Hallett (C) 9 – Morgan Thompson, 1- Rob Buchanan, 2 – Dinos Alexopoulous, 3 – Steve Neville, 4 – Ryan Gregory, 5 – Matt Evans, 6 – Blair Morris, 7 – Karl Gibson, 8 – Anders Nilsson
16 – Lewis Brown, 17 – Sonny Kuwango, 18 – Jay King, 19 – Ronald McLean-Dents, 20 – Tyler Edwards

 

Club Shop: Winter Special

Ealing Trailfinders Supporters Puma range is now availalble from the Club Shop.  Buy two items from the Puma range and get a free Ealing Puma Beanie.

 

Stadium Jacket £55.00

Rain Jacket £37.00

Replica 1st Team Home and Away Shirts £45.00

Hoodie £30.00

Fleece £30.00

Polo Shirt £27.00

Beanie £10.00

 

PREVIEW: Ealing Trailfinders v Canterbury N2S Saturday 27th November

This weekend Ealing extend a warm welcome to Canterbury RFC, who are well known visitors to Vallis Way, making their fifth league visit to Ealing’s West London ground.

Last week Canterbury were on the wrong end of a 22-52 defeat to our near neighbours Richmond, and so will be keen to avoid defeat here. Canterbury’s DoR Danny Vaughan is aware that coming here is a big challenge, but one that he and his team and looking forward to. He said "We have been a frustratingly inconsistent side this season so we need to at our best this weekend. We have a poor track record at Ealing and want to put that right."

A Brief History of Canterbury RFC

Founded in 1929 Canterbury are the first ever East Kent club to achieve National League status. That milestone was reached when they became champions of London and South East Division One in 2005/06. In the most rewarding season in the club’s history they also won the Kent Cup for a second successive year and gained further recognition when named rugby’s Team of the Year by Rugby World magazine.

Founding Fathers

Times have certainly changed from when the founding fathers, many of them involved with agriculture, first took their post-match pints and pies in a local pub and played on a hired pitch. Modern players might even envy them in that the season rarely started in earnest before October when all the fruit picking in the area was over and farmer/rugby players could start thinking about a free Saturday afternoon.

Dudley Hallwood

However, the club’s first skipper was no son of the soil. Dudley Hallwood went on to become a noted newspaper cartoonist and the club’s principal Sevens trophy still bears his name. Apart from the interruption of the Second World War, Canterbury built steadily over the years and boasted one of the strongest fixture lists in the county. They produced a number of fine players who represented Kent but the only tangible reward came in the 1974/75 season when the club beat old rivals Maidstone to win the County Cup.

Leagues

Some indeterminate years followed but the advent of leagues in the late 1980s was, like the experience of so many other clubs, a culture shock. After first being placed in London 3 South East, Canterbury went steadily downhill. They fell to the depths of Kent Division 2 at the start of the 1990s and it was from that lowly position that a revival was born,which included the expansion of a really healthy junior and colts section.

Canterbury in 2010

The Kent side are presently in 11th position in N2S , having won four drawn one and lost seven of their 12 games. They have scored 273 points and conceded 351, and have eight bonus points including seven for four tries or more.

Of the 40 tries that they have scored, open side flanker Pete Kelly leads the way on 13, second top try scorer in N2S to our own Phil Chesters on 19. Fly half Tom Best is their top points scorer on 70.

As Danny Vaughan said, they have been inconsistent , and the form book shows that, having only tasted victory once on the road from their five games so far this season. They have had many close games (20-38 v Worthing, 30-30 v Dings , 12-11 v Lydney) though along the way.

Ealing Pete Hodgkinson said that despite the league position, games against Canterbury were always tough. "Canterbury are no pushover, despite our record against them, they are a hard team to break down. We know we must play some good phase rugby to overcome them. We feel we are in good shape at the moment, but we need to ensure that we keep training and playing at the same high levels that got us here in the first place".

Previous fixtures between Ealing Trailfinders & Canterbury RFC

23/01/10 Canterbury 5 Ealing Trailfinders 24
03/10/09 Ealing Trailfinders 50 Canterbury 8
13/09/08 Canterbury 19 Ealing Trailfinders 48
03/01/08 Ealing Trailfinders 38 Canterbury 22
27/10/07 Canterbury 0 Ealing Trailfinders 22
23/02/07 Ealing Trailfinders 20 Canterbury 9
25/03/06 Ealing Trailfinders 17 Canterbury 25
26/11/05 Canterbury 25 Ealing Trailfinders 3

Other National 2 South fixtures this coming weekend: Saturday, 27 November 2010

Clifton v Hinckley,
Lydney v Henley
Newbury v Shelford
Richmond v Dings Crusaders
Southend v Jersey
Taunton v Worthing
Westcombe Park v Old Albanians

 

REPORT: Ealing Exiles 34 – 13 London French IIs

Ealing Exiles put on a strong display against London French and crashed their way to a 34 point over 13 victory. A great win, blighted only by the embarrassment of Scott’s drop goal. This was our first second round league game against the French, yet oddly our second home game against them, which confused several people! The first home game against the French was actually our away game, we just played it at home, glad that confusion has now been quashed.

The Exiles showed up with a strong squad, including a couple of new players. Notably Jareth’s monstrous brother Callum whom I made the mistake of letting play hooker for the opposition for the first half, and Ciaran Doyle who last tied his boots running out the Leinster Under 20s. Not a bad pair to add to your team sheet. Though Callum almost broke several Exiles in the first half, and Ciaran gave away an easily kick able penalty on his first touch of the ball their efforts were well appreciated. 

The penally count was very high again against the Exiles, several persistent offenders need naming and shaming.  Steve "I should know better" Richards had his number called a few times by the ref for coming in from the side, and Tom Tom Tom "over enthusiastic" Laishley built up a personal count of eight penalties for similar excitements. This has to stop, against a well booted oppo we’d have a hard time recovering from this point scoring potential.

Other comments

Scott showed he still has it, with his relentless smashing runs, and show no mercy tackles, though clearly he let the Exiles down with the nonsense of a drop goal. Though if an Exile were to drop a goal, Scotts swipe and almost fumble which put the ball just over the uprights would have been the way to do it.

Malik did some great smashing runs also, though perhaps could get involved a little more in the less dramatic parts of the game, ie the hum drum of clearing folk out of rucks etc. 

Dave Mac did what he does best, straight line charges. The whole pack performed well here we had serval good rolling mauls, culminating in good ground progress and a couple of tries.

Paul Toolan scored a nice centre’s try as the seas parted for his darting run in the second half.

Ciaran proved pretty elusive with the ball in the loose also, making good ground, and also getting himself on the points board!

Neal Craig may need to go to Dave Morgan’s anger management classes.

Dave Morgan played valiantly in the backs and then for a spell on the flank, despite suffering a couple of boots to the face in one of the rucks, mine was one of the boots, but I just nuzzled his cheek with my boot, well that’s my story.

Manus may have had his last run out before fatherhood takes it’s grasp, it was also a good one, catching several high balls and firing straight in and often through the French defence.

Legend McGabe ripped his mark into the match as usual with good delivery to the backs and also great cover tackling on their scrum put ins.

(Nick G) put in a great run from a penalty, smashing the would be tacklers to smithereens before the ref blew up and said time was still off, I would almost certainly have scored probably the best try of the match, honest!

Fabio had a good run about too, also making yards and most notably not giving away any penalties, no arguing with the ref or engaging in any scuffling! For this I was truly thankful. Fabio has now become an example of a reformed player who should be seen as an exemplar.

All in all a good show for the Exiles.  Defence held well, and we maintained much of the possession. Thanks to all those, including myself, who played just half games.

Big thanks to the French who are always a pleasure to play against, and always a pleasure to drink with after the match. We will try and sort out a friendly against these chaps in the new year, perhaps play them at their ground for a change.

Tries:
Scott(2), Paul Toolan, Ciaran Doyle, Dave MacSweeny
Conversions: Spike (1), Scott (2)
Drop goals!: Scott

Players:

 

  1. Gautier Henry
  2. Fabio Krasniqi
  3. Steve Richards
  4. John Moore
  5. Callum Keenan
  6. Tom Laishley
  7. Ciaran Doyle
  8. Nick Greenhalgh
  9. Malik Abu
  10. Stef McCabe
  11. Spike Davies
  12. Paul Toolan
  13. Neal Craig
  14. Alistair Barnston
  15. Ed Moores
  16. Jareth Keenan
  17. Dave Morgan
  18. Afe Ogun
  19. Manus Stapleton
  20. Scott
  21. Dave MacSweeny
  22. Ghassan Mattras

REPORT: Worthing 20 – 32 Ealing Trailfinders

Ealing Trailfinders Owen Bruynseels brace of tries either side of half time paved the way to this bruising win against Worthing Raiders at Rugby Park on Saturday.
 
The win keeps Ealing on top of National 2 South , still one point ahead of second placed Jersey, who despite being 3-6 down at half time to Westcombe Park, scored four second half tries to record a 30-6 win, whilst Richmond powered past Ealing’s next opponents Canterbury  28-52 to take over 3rd spot, as Southend lost at Henley Hawks 36-11.
 
Ealing’s Director of Rugby Mike Cudmore was more than happy to come away with all 5 points after this tricky encounter, he said, "Worthing is a tough place to get a result. We are very happy with our five point win but know there are some areas we need to improve on going forward"  
 
Ealing arrived at Rugby Park, buoyed by some fine performances, scoring 213 points for and only conceding 27. Worthing  however  would present a very different test, given that they had tasted defeat only once at home this season, and so it proved to be the case.
 
Owen Bruynseels opened Ealing’s account after 7 minutes, following a lineout on the half way line, the ball was moved into midfield, centre Pete Hodgkinson sliced open the Worthing defence , drawing the full back, Hodgkinson found his supporting wing who went over for the days first try. Full back Neil Hallett added the conversion and Ealing were 7-0 ahead.
 
Worthing responded when Matt McClean knocked over a penalty after the visitors 
transgressed at the ruck. Ealing were pegged back by a period of sustained pressure 
which allowed the Raiders skipper James Arthur to put the hosts into a brief lead with a try close to the Ealing posts, the conversion was added by McLean, and Worthing were ahead 10-7 on 29 minutes.
 
Three minutes before half time, Ben Ward put Ealing into a good position just outside the Worthing 22m line, some superb mauling by the Ealing eight saw prop Steve Neville go over for an unconverted try, and took Ealing into  a 10-12 lead into the half time interval.
 
Ealing’s skipper Ben Ward said, "Not much was needed to be said at half time. 
We came in with a slight lead and were turning with the wind. We have a group of players that are maturing and are pretty good at knowing what needs to be done to get the result."
 
Ealing came out after the half time break and took the game to their south coast hosts. 
Ealing’s approach work to the third try of the day would have pleased Mike Cudmore, his forwards maintaining the momentum, flanker Karl Gibson made a break, and just outside the 22m line, Ben Ward put over a diagonal cross field kick which wing Owen Bruynseels gratefully accepted for his second of the day, Neil Hallett from out wide could not manage the extra points but Ealing were 17-10 to the good with 44 minutes on the clock.
 
Not to be outdone, Ealing’s front row union added another try when prop Rob Buchanan bulldozed his way over from short range, Neil Hallett extended the lead with the conversion and Ealing seemed to be cruising at 10-24 with twenty five minutes remaining. 
Worthing hit straight back , and their centre Matt McLean closed the gap after he crossed for a try on 55 minutes.
 
Ealing made changes after 60 minutes, and it was good to see the return to 1st XV action of flanker Blair Morris after a period of illness, he came on for the impressive Karl Gibson, whilst Dinos Alexopoulos gave Steve Neville a rest, and Ryan Gregory 
replaced Lee Starling.
 
National 2 South’s leading try scorer, Phil Chesters took his seasons total to 19 tries, as Ealing looked to kill off any sort of Raiders fight back. He latched onto a sweet grubber kick through and won the footrace to dot down, Hallett again from out wide was just unable to find his range. Ealing led 15-29 with a quarter of an hour remaining. Worthing responded when lock Charlie McGowen was hauled over the Ealing line to bring the score line back to 20-29 with only 6 minutes left on the clock.
 
Ealing looked to close the game out, and when the Raiders gave away a penalty for 
interfering with Ealing scrum half Morgan Thompson at the breakdown, Ealing’s Neil 
Hallett calmly stepped up , and the resulting penalty sailed through the uprights, and with it referee Simon McConnell signalled the end of the game, another close game at Rugby Park, but one the league leaders on the balance of it deserved.
 
Ealing’s two try hero Owen Bruynseels said after the game "Before going into the game we spoke about continuing the progress we have made over the past few weeks and how we should look to continue our good form. Worthing is always a tough place to go and we knew we would have to put in a good performance. Coming away with a bonus point win is always pleasing and some areas of our game functioned well at times. However we were not happy with some aspects of our game and will look to work on these this week in training building up to a big game against Canterbury".
 
Ben Ward added "We are very pleased to go away from home and take 5 points. Its a 
tough place to go and Worthing are a good side. We felt we made some good chances and tested them everytime we kept the ball. Our defence was not at the level we wanted and this allowed them to keep in the game."
 
This weekend, Ealing Trailfinders return to Vallis Way and entertain Canterbury RFU. Kick off is 3pm and all the details can be found on the club website www.ealingrugby.co.uk
 
Second placed Jersey face a tricky visit to Southend, whilst 3rd placed Richmond entertain Dings at the Athletic Ground.
 
Ealing Trailfinders –
 
15 – Neil Hallett, 14 – Owen Bruynseels, 13 – Pete Hodgkinson, 12 – Joe Price, 11 – Phil Chesters, 10 – Ben Ward (C)  9 – Morgan Thompson, 1-  Rob Buchanan, 2 – Jon Moyce 3 – Steve Neville, 4 – Jack Fishwick, 5 – Matt Evans, 6 – Karl Gibson, 7 – Lee Starling, 8 -Anders Nilsson
 
16 – Lewis Brown,  17 – Dinos Alexoppulos, 18 – Ryan Gregory, 19 – Blair Morris, 20 – Sam Wardingley
 

REPORT: Hammersmith and Fulham 12 – 5 Ealing Jades Sunday 14th November

With only 13 players on the pitch, Ealing spent the first 15 minutes struggling to maintain possession of the ball. With extra numbers on the counter rucks and less numbers in the Jades back line, Hammersmith definitely had the advantage.

Hammersmith had to fight hard but used the the overlap to skip round the wing and score their first try of the game early on in the first 10 mins. Once the conversion came, Ealing knew they still had it in them to beat this team. The next few minutes saw a much better defensive line take place and Ealing fought well to keep Hammers away from the try line. Sharon Braddish brought out her almighty tackles once more after a challenging game two weeks ago and really picked up the pace to chase down the opposition.

Soon the Jades were up to 15 players and heads lifted. The decision to play the advantage of Fly half Tash Holmes’ boot was a great one made by coach Stefan Glancy. Ealing then spent the majority of time in the oppositions twenty two and it was only a matter of time before Ealing progressed closer to the try line. Some great phases were played by the forwards and particular hard work was seen by two newcomers Yogi and Lizzie who fought hard to secure the ball and fight off the opposition.  Ealing kept battering at the defence with some good runs by Nicky Dent and Ali Law.

Lindsey Castling out on the wing took a great ball from Hazel Frame and darted down the wing until the almighty crash of thunder and lightening from the heavens appeared to stop everyone in their tracks.

A turn over ball meant that Hammersmith now had a scrum but the determination of the Jades 5 yards from that try line was enough to get the Jades going. An almighty push from the pack saw them steal the ball which gave scrum half Liz Garvey the opportunity to swing the ball nicely out to Tash Holmes who saw the opportunity on the blind side for a try. Good work Tash and quick thinking.

The second half saw more great kicking and Ealing spending the majority of their time in the oppositions twenty two but it was a turn over ball and a break through the line that left the Jades unorganised and allowed Hammersmith to progress up towards Ealings try line only rescued by a great tackle by Yvette Burton in the last few yards. Good defence held them off for a few minutes but it was not to be with Hammersmith diving low and securing a try once more. The score remained a 12:5 to Hammersmith throughout, but all in all a good fight was put up. Ealing know that this team can be beaten and look forward to their home encounter in 2011.

Forward of the match went to Sharon Braddish, Back of the match to Ali Law and a birthday pint for try scorer Tash Holmes.

REPORT: Ealing Trailfinders 87 – 7 Shelford

Ealing Trailfinders’ first game under floodlights at Vallis Way nearly ended in disaster for the home side, as a 59th minute floodlight failure almost led to the abandonment of this National 2 South fixture, that the home sided were comfortably winning 59-7 at the time.

In order for a result to stand, 60 minutes must be played, so Director of Rugby Mike Cudmore was a relieved man as the grounds staff at Trailfinders Sports Club worked hard to get the offending lights back in working order. He said "We played very well in all areas of the game. The score lines we have produced in recent weeks have been a reflection of not only how well we have played in attack but also how we controlled the opposition teams in defence. Obviously the floodlight failure was a worrying moment, and we were all glad when they came back on".

The final score line of 87-7 reflects Ealing’s total domination of this National 2 South fixture. Shelford in the past have proved to be Ealing’s nemesis. The Cambridgeshire based side’s heavy pack always being a force to be reckoned with. Not on this occasion however as Ealing’s forwards put their visitors to the sword as Ealing’s backs cut through at will, providing Peter Hodgkinson and wing Phil Chesters with ample opportunities which players of their class don’t need any second invitations, as they grabbed fourtries each on their way to the teams 12 try romp.

Ealing were off the mark after five minutes as Hodgkinson cut through a gap in the disorganised Shelford defence, after some fine approached work by the Ealing forwards, and Neil Hallett started the day as he finished it by converting the first of the twelve tries and with it taking his total contribution to 32 points in a faultless display of place kicking in a man of the match performance.

Hallett added a penalty on eight minutes, and then the tries began to flow: Hodgkinson added his second after a quarter of an hour, then his centre partner Joe Price outpaced the visiting defence to score Ealing’s third of the day on 25 minutes stretching the score line to 24-0 with Halletts conversion.

Hodgkinson’s hat trick came after the young centre collecting the ball in midfield, side stepped his way through three defenders before taking the full back on and outpacing him.

Not to be out done the forwards responded and second row Jack Fishwick was to go over for his first try for Ealing after he charged down a clearance kick from the hesitant Shelford full back and dotted down to take Ealing’s lead out to 36-0 with Hallett’s fifth conversion of the day.

Going into half time with the four try bonus point in the bag, it is always important to continue with the quality during the second 40 minutes, and this was something that skipper Ben Ward was pleased about. "We knew that the Shelford forwards always pose a problem, but the way our guys handled them in the first 40 minutes made my job easy. We moved them around and created miss matches in defence which we exploited. Coming out for the second half, despite conceding an early try the tempo of the game was kept at a high pace, and we continued to create space which we benefited from".

The visitors came out and started the second half brightly as second row Redmond Newbeery crossed the Ealing line off a rolling maul, Andy Daly added the conversion, but Shelford faced a daunting next 35 minutes, trailing 38-7. Ealing made changes to give the squad needed game time. Jon Moyce replaced Lewis Brown and Dinos Alexopolous came on for Steve Neville.

Just after this, Phil Chesters crossed for three tries within a ten minute period of flowing rugby, with Hallett’s conversions, Ealing were flying, 59-7 ahead.
Phil Chesters third was the pick of the bunch. Collecting the ball outside his centre Joe Price, his speed mesmerised the Shelford backs who failed to lay a hand on the speedy wing, who glided past the watching Shelford full back.

It was then that one corner of the ground was put into darkness as one of the new lights failed. Referee Mark Liddell was consulting the fourth official as the TFSC officials were busy repairing the damage.

The return of the lights were greeted by a roar by the crowd and with Ryan Gregory replacing Matt Evans, Jay King (on for Karl Gibson) and Sam Wardingley (for Owen Bruynseels), the tries continued. Chesters and Hodgkinson both crossed for their fourth of the day and were followed by Ryan Gregory and Neil Hallett wrapping up the 12 try victory, after he collected the ball on the half way line, dummying to Phil Chesters in support, he cut an inside line and went over by the posts, slotting his 12th conversion of the day in a deserved man of the match performance.

Ben Ward is confident that the team can carry on the form they have shown over the past few weeks, "We were very pleased with our performance Saturday. In the last three weeks our set piece has been of a high level and so has our defence. This is allowing our attack lots of opportunities to test opposition and cause them problems. We have some tough games coming up but there is too much quality in this league to start looking beyond the next game. We have had some great battles with Worthing over the last few years and this Saturday will be a very tough game."

Next weekend, Ealing travel to Worthing. Worthing were defeated at the weekend, by Ealing’s local rivals Richmond, 31-8, a victory which saw Richmond take fourth place in N2S. Worthing are currently in eighth place in N2S on 34 points.

Ealing Trailfinders

15 – Neil Hallett, 14 – Owen Bruynseels, 13 – Pete Hodgkinson, 12 – Joe Price, 11 – Phil Chesters, 10 – Ben Ward (C) 9 – Morgan Thompson, 1- Lewis Brown, 2 – Rob Buchanan, 3 – Steve Neville, 4 – Jack Fishwick, 5 – Matt Evans, 6 – Karl Gibson, 7 – Lee Starling, 8 – Anders Nilsson
16 – Jon Moyce, 17 – Dinos Alexoppulos, 18 – Ryan Gregory, 19 – Jay King, 20 – Sam Wardingley
Lewis Brown charge

REPORT: Jades 7 – 40 Ashford Sunday 31st October 2010

The Jades started out against Romford with enthusiasm and determination and held off the opposition well initially, maintaining possession of the ball and moving nicely into their half. All looked well until a turn over ball saw the Jades defensive line fail to take shape and a break through occurred from Romford, putting the Jades on the back foot in the first half.

The Jades soon learnt from this and their defensive line began to take shape and hold off some quick and powerful backs in the centre of Ashford’s back line. Some good breaks were made by Ali Law and Stacie Casciani but with lack of support, Ealing failed to turn these into a try. Tiredness seemed to set in towards the end of the second half and Ealing gave away another try, this time converted putting the score at 0-12. Following this, some good defensive work by Lindsey Irvine and Hazel Frame, and some fantastic kicking by Natasha Holmes meant Ealing were able to keep any further tries at bay. Hannah Murphy made some good and quick decisions and Ealing were really playing like a team.

The Jades were determined to come back fighting knowing that 12 points was in their reach. With Ealing dominating the scrums and winning some good ball they were shocked when tackle-miester Sharon Braddish got taken off with a neck injury. Unfortunately a lack of focus following this seemed to set in amongst the team and the opposition’s centres and wings just kept battering through the defensive line taking the score to 40 nil.

Five minutes to go and Ealing talked about finishing strong and keeping disciplined right to the end. The Jades knew that they had worked hard and at least deserved to finish on a try. The attitude that the Jades summoned up in the last few minutes of the game is something to be seen. Continuing to edge slowly up the field towards Ashford’s try line made Ealing more determined that at least one try was on the cards with 5 minutes to go. Ealing worked well as a team with Nicky Dent leading the forwards well and driving the opposition backwards,  Ealing continued to gain ground and put pressure on Ashford’s defensive line. This led to gaps bring created and allowed Liz Garvey at scrum half to spread the ball out to Kat Bowman who took the opportunity to bring the ball over the try line at last and for the first time in Kats rugby career. Well done Kat. Tash Holmes and her excellent boot were able to convert, giving Ealing 7 points in the last minute of the game. As the whistle went, Ealing knew they had lost but felt proud at striving right until the very end despite the score. Girls, well done and great attitudes through out!! 

REPORT: Hinckley 10 – 89 Ealing Trailfinders

Ealing completed this 13 try victory against Hinckley and with it took top spot in National 2 South as the previous leaders Southend, slipped to their second successive defeat in two weeks, against Clifton. Jersey completed a 20 try rout against Newbury. It remains tight at the top and will do so for the foreseeable future.

Ealing arrived at Leicester Road having been forced to make some changes due to injury, but Director of Rugby Mike Cudmore made other changes to give his squad some valuable game time. Captain Ben Ward missed his first in league game in six seasons with the club, his place going to Neil Hallett, who also captained the side for the day. Simon Bundy came in at full back, whilst Sam Wardingley filled in at centre. Karl Gibson got a deserved start on the flank.

Neil Hallett was impressed by the team’s attitude throughout the game. He said “League position doesn’t really play a part in how we approach a game. We knew that we had to build on last weekend’s performance and I believed the boys displayed a very professional attitude throughout the 80 minutes".

Ealing’s rout of 2nd from bottom Hinckley was led by the league’s top try scorer, Phil Chesters who bagged four tries to his name, and centre Sam Wardingley with a hat trick. Of the 13 tries, the backs claimed 11 of them.

Ealing were on the scoreboard with 11 minutes on the clock when Simon Bundy cutting a great line off centre Joe Price pass. Skipper Neil Hallett added the first of his 12 conversions on the day. Ealing’s play was of a high standard throughout, and their dominance at the set piece allowed their impressive back line to shine.

Phil Chesters crossed for his first on 17 minutes, followed by Joe Price who extended the lead on 19 minutes. Hinckley’s stand off Guy Swadling added his sides first points of the day when Ealing were penalised at the breakdown. Sam Wardingley went over for Ealing’s four try and with it the bonus point on 27 minutes. He added his second of the day just before half time, and with Neil Hallett converting four of the five tries scored, Ealing went into half time with a healthy 33-3 lead.

Hallett added, “Coming into half time with a good lead, it is always important to ensure that the concentration levels are kept for the second 40 minutes. I think we defiantly showed that we won’t rest on our laurels. Certain players had a chance to stake a claim for a regular starting spot and it was testament to the way they all gelled together. It’s encouraging to know that we have a good enough squad to be able to make certain changes and still perform at a very high level."

Ealing came out and the second half resumed as the first had finished. Wardingley added his third of the day, whist Chesters pushed Ealing’s lead out to 47-3 with Hallett’s conversion.

Mike Cudmore rang the changes as the evergreen pair of James Winterbottom and Dinos Alexopolous came on for Steve Neville and Jack Fishwick.

Four minutes later, Karl Gibson went over for a deserved try, after good mauling by the Ealing eight, Hallett converted and Ealing were 3-54 ahead. Jay King replaced the industrious Lee Starling after 54 minutes, and the try barrage continued.

Phil Chesters hat trick duly arrived on 56 minutes, whilst tries from Owen Bryunseels (2), Markus Burcham and Phil Chesters for his 4th of the day completed the thoroughly professional job by the new league leaders. Hinckley’s Tom Sanderson was bundled over for a consolation try, but the damage was inflicted much earlier.

Director of Rugby Mike Cudmore said after the game, "Our performance was very clinical on Saturday. Our physicality and tempo in both attack and defence was of a high level and I was very pleased with not only the score line but more importantly getting five points away from home”.

Ealing now look forward to the upcoming series of fixtures that will help shape their season. Next up at Vallis Way are Shelford on Saturday. Kick off is 3pm.

Looking ahead to the Shelford game, Skipper Neil Hallett is aware that the standards the team set for themselves must be maintained. “You always look forward to the forthcoming fixture. Once again we need to build on that performance. We intend to maintain our position in the league table and only five points will guarantee such an outcome. Shelford are no push over, they have some quality players and we will have to front up from the start".

Ealing Trailfinders

15 – Simon Bundy, 14 – Owen Bryunseels, 13 – Sam Wardingley, 12 – Joe Price, 11 – Phil Chesters, 10 – Neil Hallett (C) 9 – Morgan Thompson, 1- Lewis Brown, 2 – Rob Buchanan, 3 – Steve Neville, 4 – Jack Fishwick, 5 – Ryan Gregory, 6 – Karl Gibson, 7 – Lee Starling, 8 – Mat Evans

16 – Dinos Alexopoulos, 17 – Sungo Kuwana, 18 – James Winterbottom, 19 – Jay King, 20 – Markus Burcham
 

Andrew Small Postponed – Referee Development Evening 16 November

Andrew Small has had to postpone his visit to ETRFC on Tuesday 16 November, but we will be arranging a new date for an evening with "Smally" in the New Year.

Instead, on Tuesday 16 November we will hold a referee development evening.  We will start the discussion with offside, signals and the tackle area (there is no harm reviewing this which is probably the most difficult are of the game to referee). We will also discuss any other topics which you wish to raise, inlcuding empathy with the players, and other areas of the game on which you want clarification or or are finding hard to manage.

I really want to encourage you to attend, including the new referees. The game has improved as a spectacle this season with the new interpretations so it is essentail we understand how we play a part in that. The players will get more out of the game that we allow them to play and we will enjoy ourselves much more! This is as applicable to the minis as it is to the adult game. Please therefore can as many of you come along as possible and make it a really good interactive session. Start at 7.45pm

Charlie Hodder