“Better entertainment than you get for £100 at Twickenham,” was the verdict of one of the more than 200 enthusiastic supporters at the end of a game of high intensity, skill and no little drama, which ultimately left Ealing Trailfinders 1871’s promotion hopes hanging by a thread but could so easily have gone the other way in a pulsating encounter worthy of a considerably higher tier than Level 8.

Perfect playing conditions at Cheshunt’s impressive ground greeted the two teams, with Ealing having to switch to an orange-and-white due to both sides having green and white as their regular shirt colour. The game began with an intensity that continued until the final whistle, as both teams came close to scoring in the opening minutes, Ealing losing line-out possession with an overthrow after a second penalty deep in Cheshunt territory. The hosts went straight onto the attack, and it took a tackle by full back Lewis Steadman to prevent the Cheshunt No 5 going over. With 7 minutes on the clock, inside centre Ben Parkinson took a great line to open the scoring under the posts, with league top scorer Harry Vidler adding the extras. Undaunted by this early setback, Cheshunt, who had conceded a measly 34 points in all their previous games on their home patch in Counties 2 Herts & Middlesex, responded with a fine try, keeping the ball alive with swift inter-passing to finally fashion a gap for their right wing. The scrum-half nailed a kick from wide on the right to tie the scores. Two outstanding jackals by hooker Luke Parry forced penalties, but the ensuing attack petered out with a knock-on. Ealing went close again, with left wing Darragh Sinnott bundled into touch just short of the line, but with 27 minutes gone it was Cheshunt who, slightly against the run of play, scored again through their right wing, with a fine conversion from wide out.

With 5 minutes to go until the break, Ealing came under pressure after losing a line-out, a problem throughout the game with second-row Matt Donnelly’s late omission from the squad with an ankle injury leaving them short of an option, and Lewis Steadman was yellow-carded for coming in at the side. Ealing held out against a wave of attacks, but conceded a penalty which the Cheshunt scrum-half took quickly, sending an inch-perfect kick out to the right, where one of the flankers collected and touched down unopposed. The conversion missed to the right of the posts. Two minutes later, an injection of pace took Ealing to close to the try line, and Parry had the strength to burst through a last-ditch tackle and touch down under the posts, Vidler adding the extras to leave the game delicately poised at 19-14 to the hosts at the break.

Laurence Troke, replacing Donnelly in the second row, was forced to retire with a leg injury at the break, and was replaced by Dan O’Mahony for the second half. 1871 went onto the attack from the re-start, but lost another line-out in a promising position, and the unbeaten league leaders swiftly took play down to the other end of the pitch, where another well-judged kick found the left wing in space. Another good conversion extended the lead to 26-14. The gap was reduced after 53 minutes with outside centre Max Muirhead, forcing his way over, giving Vidler another straightforward conversion. With three-quarters of the game gone Ealing looked likely to score and move into the lead with a quickly taken penalty deep in Cheshunt territory, but instead conceded a free kick because the ball had not left the hand. Ealing continued to put the home side under considerable pressure, and eventually opted for scrums rather than kicks to touch when awarded penalties. Two dominant scrums justified the decision, tellingly so when prolific wing Josh Steadman weaved his way to the line under the posts. The conversion, with just 10 minutes plus added time remaining, left Ealing tantalisingly 2 points ahead and with a 4-try bonus point secured. The promotion dream, dependent on other favourable results at the top of the league, was very much alive, but agonisingly the Cheshunt forwards forced their way over 7 minutes later. Ealing returned to the attack once again, but the home defence held firm before the referee blew the final whistle to end an absorbing contest.

Having played more games than any other team in the league, 1871 now take a 2-week break before travelling to Barnet Elizabethans on 11 March for the final league match, followed by North-West Middlesex Floodlit Cup semi-final action in the week ending 25 March and the new Papa Johns Community Cup, the first round of which is scheduled to take place on 1 April.