After the euphoria of defeating Brunel University a week previously, Ealing Trailfinders 1871 were a little less impressive against the team currently propping up the league, but eventually stamped their authority on the game and came back from rural Hertfordshire with a bonus-point win, thanks to a brace of tries by full-back Keir Gordon, one apiece by Jack Hobbs and Luke Parry and three conversions by Harrison Slater. Slater came onto the field as an early replacement when Callum Nolan-Hutchinson, in his first game back at the club after a spell away playing Level 5 rugby, suffered what subsequently proved to be a fractured scapula after just 5 minutes.

Partly due to the disruption caused by this injury to their fly half, Ealing struggled to impose themselves and were pinned inside their own half for the first 15 minutes of the game. Datchworth failed to capitalise when awarded two kickable penalties, but eventually took a deserved lead with a try and conversion on 22 minutes. Ealing then mounted a first sustained attack, eventually lost possession, Datchworth cleared downfield, left wing Jack Hobbs made a break through the middle, and when the ball was moved left along the back line was back in position for a good finish close to the touch line. An excellent conversion by Slater brought the scores equal. With just over half an hour gone pressure eventually told after Datchworth had defended valiantly through several phases, with Hobbs turning provider and Gordon scoring on the overlap on the left. Slater again converted well. On the stroke of half-time prop Akeem Eubank-Anderson caught a long line-out throw and punched a hole in the defence before offloading to flanker Ben Thompson, who outpaced the opposition with a searing run but unfortunately dived exuberantly when already over the try line and lost the ball.

With the advantage of the slight slope to come, Ealing looked well placed to come away with five league points, but Datchworth, in the first ever fixture between the two clubs, proved resilient and drew level at 14-14 a few minutes into the second period from a quick tapped penalty. Five minutes later 1871 took the lead again with a powerful run under the posts by hooker Luke Parry through a gap created by slick passing. The fourth and bonus point try came though Gordon, again on the overlap outside Hobbs, with a quarter of the game remaining to put Ealing two scores ahead for the first time in the game at 26-14. In a game in which 1871 astonishingly were penalised 17 times while their opponents conceded just two penalties, one in each half, they had to play out the last 10 minutes with 13 men on the field with flankers Ben Thompson and Carlos Duarte both in the sin bin for technical offences but survived a 5 metre scrum and indeed finished the game on the Datchworth try line.

Datchworth gave a good account of themselves and looked significantly better than their record in the league indicates, and Ealing were happy to come away with a win that keeps them in fourth place in Hertfordshire and Middlesex League 1, with six wins out of seven. Captain Lewis Steadman and coach Phil Smith admitted it had been a tough afternoon, especially with the heavy penalty count, and were proud of the strong defence. Man of the match chosen by the Ealing coaches was Luke Parry, while the opposing captain nominated Keir Gordon.

After a week’s rest, traditional club rivals Ruislip visit Vallis Way for a Friday night fixture on 7 November, the first time the two teams will have met in the RFU leagues.