Ealing Trailfinders 1871 3rds made the short journey across the A40 to Northolt RFC and came away with a handsome win, running in 11 tries, remarkably scored by 11 different players, including scores by a father and son, two Moldovan brothers and two club debutants.

After a messy start to the game on soft ground familiar to those of us who played for many years at the old Ealing ground nearby, 1871 started to put together a few phases and were eventually rewarded with returning centre Petru Boian beating his opposite number wide on the right. It took just 3 minutes to double the lead through right wing Adrian Coa near the corner flag after Nyall Wake at No 8 had punched a hole in the defence, and shortly afterwards accurate passing along the back line and well-timed passes led to a try by Dan Nethercote on the opposite wing. A penalty kick reduced the deficit to 15-3 before Wake stretched the lead by barging over under the posts from short range. With a conversion by scrum half Dan Ford, Ealing were comfortably placed at the break with a 22-3 lead.

The second half yielded a further seven tries for 1871 against a tiring opposition, although the first score after the re-start went to the home team from a catch and drive.  Ealing responded straight from the kick-off when flanker Carlos Duarte latched onto an awkwardly bouncing kick and sped away to the line. Five minutes later Phil Truscott, making his debut for the club after recovering from injury, finished well before his partner in the second row Tom Anwell burst through a gap and outpaced the Northolt defence with the score of the day from 50 metres. Prop Luke Beasley’s quick thinking with a tap penalty further stretched the lead before the final 5 minutes produced three further scores, by Mihai Boian, playing alongside his brother Petru at centre, Luis Coa, father of Adrian, with a burst down the left, and replacement Chris Gregg on debut.

An emphatic performance leaves in fifth place in Middlesex Merit Table 3.