Ealing Trailfinders win big as Coventry stay perfect in the Championship

By Harry Crichton

Ealing Trailfinders secured a commanding 36-21 victory over Nottingham at The Bay to continue their solid start to the Championship campaign with three wins from four matches.

Trailfinders opened the scoring early, with Craig Willis darting through the Nottingham defence to score and adding the extras to make it 7-0.

Following a yellow card for Nottingham's Kegan Christian-Goss, Jordan Holgate extended the lead with a try after 17 minutes.

Nottingham fought back, with Charlie Myall scoring their first try half an hour in, but Ealing's Will Montgomery answered just before half time to give the visitors a 24-7 lead at the break.

The second half saw Ealing maintain their dominance, with David Douglas Bridge crashing over from short range and Tom Collins showcasing his speed to score in the corner, pushing the score to 36-7.

Nottingham's late attempts to close the gap saw Jack Dickinson and David Williams score tries, but Ealing’s early lead proved too substantial.

Ealing's Director of Rugby, Ben Ward, expressed his delight with the performance, highlighting the team's energy and physicality.

He said: “We always have really good battles here, and I think one of the toughest things about playing Nottingham is you have to concentrate for the full 80 minutes.

“Nottingham were playing some really good rugby, causing us problems and we knew we had to be on our metal and I just thought the energy and the physicality we brought tonight was really really good.

“That’s what were about as a team and if we do that we’ll cause teams problems.”

Hartpury overcome Cambridge in dominant display

Hartpury turned on the style under the Friday night lights to beat Cambridge 43-10 with a commanding home performance.

The hosts got off to a blistering start, with Harry Short scoring the opening try in the corner within the first minute.

Two tries for Ethan Hunt off the back of well-organised mauls piled the pressure on Cambridge. With Sam Hanks sidelined due to a yellow card, Hartpury took full advantage to slot over another three points and headed into the break with a 24-0 lead.

The second half saw Cambridge make a resurgence, with Hanks powering over for a try. However, Hartpury quickly responded, settling into their game and winning a lineout that led to Ollie Holiday finishing well in the corner for the bonus point try.

Hartpury maintained their momentum, with Short scoring his second of the night following a patient build-up off a lineout.

The final moments of the match saw Alex Gibson score another try as Cambridge tired, extending Hartpury's lead to 43-5. Ollie Betteridge capped off a superb individual performance with a try in the dying minutes to pull another one back for the visitors.

Ampthill secure bonus point win against Caldy

Ampthill secured a bonus point victory at home to Caldy with a 33-19 victory in Bedfordshire.

Richard Barrington opened the scoring with a try in the 12th minute, but Caldy quickly responded through scrum-half Ollie Wynn.

Josh Hallett then put Ampthill back in front, with Barton converting to make it 12-7.

Despite strong Caldy pressure, Ampthill held firm and added another try before half time, with James Hadfield crossing the line just before the break to extend the lead to 19-7.

In the second half, Callum Ridgway’s try brought Caldy within seven points, but Ampthill responded emphatically to take the game away from the visitors.

Brandon Jackson intercepted a pass and raced in for a try, followed by Lekima Ravuvu’s close-range score, to push Ampthill’s lead to 33-12.

Caldy managed a late try from Barney Merrett, but it wasn't enough to challenge the hosts, who celebrated a well-earned bonus point win.

Bedford secure thrilling late win

Bedford Blues clinched a thrilling 28-24 victory against the Cornish Pirates in a nail-biting encounter at Goldington Road.

The hosts made an explosive start, with an early intercept try from Arthur Relton giving Pirates a 5-0 lead. However, after a period of pressure, the Blues responded with a score from Joey Conway, nudging the visitors ahead at 7-5.

The back-and-forth continued as Pirates’ Morgan Nelson crossed for a try, to restore their lead, before Dean Adamson scored under the posts, bringing the Blues back in front at 14-12 at halftime.

The second half saw a determined Pirates side take control, with Matt Cannon powering over to regain the lead at 19-14. A spirited response from the Blues brought them back into contention through Lucas Titherington, but a bonus-point score from Billy Young, made it 24-21 to Pirates.

In a dramatic finale, Bedford rallied, and after a penalty for offside, they scored again through Conway to seal the win with a late try, securing a hard-fought victory on the road.

Coventry maintain perfect start with victory over Chinnor

Coventry continued their unbeaten run with a commanding 28-14 win against Chinnor at Butts Park Arena, securing their fourth consecutive victory of the season.

Tom Hitchcock opened the scoring for Coventry with a well-worked try, combining with James Martin for a quick one-two. Liam Richmond converted for a 7-0 lead.

The hosts maintained pressure and soon extended their lead with a second try from Charlie Robson, who found a gap after sustained phases.

Chinnor fought back, with Luke Carter crossing the line and Connor Slevin converting to close the gap to 14-7 before halftime.

The second half saw Coventry assert their dominance, with skipper Jordan Poole scoring from a lineout just five minutes after the restart.

Coventry continued to defend resolutely, with standout tackles from Hitchcock and Robson thwarting Chinnor’s attempts to get back into the game.

In a highlight moment, Charlie Robson secured his second try of the day after a perfectly timed kick through from Fin Ogden, making it 26-7. Richmond remained flawless from the tee, converting the bonus-point try.

Chinnor managed a late consolation with Morgan Passman crossing the line, but it wasn't enough to challenge Coventry's lead. The victory sees Coventry sit atop the league table, continuing their perfect start to the season.

Scottish claim victory at Castle Park

London Scottish secured a hard-fought 12-0 win over Doncaster at Castle Park, with a strong defensive performance throughout the match.

Scottish started brightly, putting Doncaster under pressure and earning an early penalty. Sam Riley opened the scoring with a try from a maul in the 20th, though the conversion was missed.

The second half saw an explosive start as Sean Kerr crossed for a try, with Alec Lloyd-Seed adding the extras to extend the lead to 12-0. Despite sustained pressure from Doncaster, Scottish’s defence held firm, forcing errors and denying the hosts any points.

Image credit: Ealing Trailfinders