Ealing 1871 achieved a crucial bonus-point win over promotion rivals Finchley, courtesy of braces by debutant full back Cillian Corkery and by George Emmerson, both interceptions from long range, together with a penalty try and 21 points from the trusty left boot of fly half Harry Vidler. A chaotic start saw one of the Finchley wings pull up with a hamstring injury in the warm-up, while Jonathan Oh’s call-up as Ealing hooker lasted only a minute before he departed with a broken nose, to be replaced by Anthony Chihota, a late addition to the squad following an accident to Tim Hitchcock, who took up the loosehead prop berth with Leo Codrington-Lambert moving to hooker.

In calm conditions after a wet and stormy week, Ealing executed their game plan perfectly, attacking from the off. It took just 3 minutes for Corkery to register his first try for the club, with a well-timed run to receive a scoring pass from flanker Gereint Price after 1871 had attacked from deep following a clearance kick by the visitors. Vidler converted from the left, and when Ealing were awarded a penalty 47 metres out soon afterwards bisected the posts. The tactic of taking 3 points when offered was followed again after 10 minutes, this time from much shorter range, producing a healthy-looking 13-0 lead. Finchley, who had been leading the Counties 1 Middlesex table by 2 points going into the game and had beaten Ealing in a close encounter in the reverse fixture in the autumn, then dominated for a period, showing the catch-and-drive game that has served them well, and it came as no surprise when they drove to within a couple of metres of the try line, recycled quickly and finished to the left of the posts for a converted try. Having weathered several minutes of pressure, Ealing’s powerful pack broke upfield, and much of the remainder of the first half was played in the middle of the park, although it took a last-ditch tackle by outside centre Lewis Steadman to prevent a try that would have put the visitors in the lead with a conversion. In contrast to Finchley, whose aim was to win by scoring tries and hence butchered a number of chances, Ealing kept the scoreboard ticking over with a third Vidler penalty to leave themselves well placed at 16-7 at the break.

While 1871 looked the more likely to score, the first 13 minutes of the second period produced few clear opportunities, until Ealing made the most of an attacking 5-metre scrum. With the backs aligned wide on the right, scrum half Kyle Beck popped the cleanly won ball to Corkery, who shimmied and shrugged off a tackle to finish close to the posts, from where Vidler added the extras to extend the lead to 23-7. Three minutes later Vidler nailed another 47-metre penalty. With victory increasingly assured, 1871 still had the four-try bonus to play for, and a third try followed when interception specialist Emmerson stole a loose Finchley pass and sprinted 70 metres and beat the chasers to the line out on the left. For the only time in the game Vidler missed the kick, but he did add a fifth penalty, a more straightforward kick, with 6 minutes remaining. With the final whistle approaching, Ealing secured the fourth try and bonus with a powerful driving mall from the 22 metre line that forced a penalty try for illegally preventing the touch down. There was just time for Emmerson to reprise his interception and juggling trick with a fifth try, this time from more than 80 metres out.

A large and vocal crowd created a fizzing atmosphere worthy of the occasion. After the game, the coaches expressed their pride in the performance of the entire squad, with a special mention for the performance of Chihota. The returns of Jack Hobbs on the wing and Emmerson in the centre, as well as the addition of Corkery to the backs and the return from injury of Price, made a crucial difference. Man of the match was Corkery.