From the team talk in the changing room, to the warm-up, to the game, the messages of mindset and using the top two inches stuck with the players and there was a determination throughout the squad.

From the start of the game, the Ealing players seemed firmly up to start the new year with a bang and throughout the first half, they put Belsize Park under pressure, limiting their forays out of their own half to a minimum. Within 10 minutes, Ealing’s first try came, through Kavan Fitzpatrick, just over a minute after their first try was disallowed as it was deemed to have been knocked on. The conversion from the Boot of Andrew Quick was successful and three minutes later, the second try went in care of Hugh Foley. Ealing continued to apply pressure to Belsize Park, who tried to rally themselves and for the next 22 minutes fought hard to put meaningful sequences together managing briefly to get close to the Ealing try line, only to be again repelled by a very strong and physical defensive set. At 35 minutes, the third Ealing try went in, through Rasaan Samms, off the back of another strong Ealing scrum which was also converted by Andrew Quick.

Half-time score:
Ealing 1871 3rd XV - 19
Belsize Park 3rd XV - 0

10 minutes into the second half, Ealing continued where they left off and Kavan Fitzpatrick scored again, which was also duly converted by Andrew Quick. However, Belsize Park capitalised from a sloppy bit of Ealing defending after a team penalty Yellow Card and at 22 minutes they got a break by going over to score their first points, which were converted. Eight minutes later, at 30 minutes and just after Will Warren returned to the field, the try of the day came, through Ollie Gilbert picking up the ball at around the Ealing 22 and breaking through about 5 tackles to just about reach the Belsize Park 22, to then offload on the ground to Luke Beasley. He was in turn brought down by the Belsize Park scrambling defence, but was able to offload to Kelvin Amankwaa, who in his inimitable powerful style went over the line, whilst taking two Belsize Park players with him. Not to be outdone, at 36 minutes, Belsize Park scored their own well worked try by stretching the Ealing players wide on one side, then rewinding the play and hitting a nice hard inside line, against weak shoulders and loose tackling, to score under the posts. They also gained the two extra points by securing their conversion. Ealing wanted the last hurrah and Rasaan Samms obliged at 39 minutes.

All around a very good performance from Ealing, albeit a high penalty count, particularly in the second half.
David Brathwaite