Roared on by a crowd of 300, Ealing Trailfinders 1871 gained the bonus-point win needed to guarantee promotion from Counties 1 Middlesex to Regional 2 (Level 6 of the RFU league pyramid) under the Friday night lights at Ealing Trailfinders Sports Club. With a 5-point lead at the top of the table over Finchley, the stage was set for the step-up to be secured with a game to spare, with the number of games won sufficient to ensure that 1871 would be crowned champions even in the unlikely event of a loss in the last game, away to second-from-bottom UCS. An energetic and solidly organised performance made sure that there was no slip-up against a team who had run them close in the away fixture on a wintry day on an awkward sloping pitch at Hendon.

Buoyed by a ruthless performance against Wasps in their previous game in which they had scored 98 points by the time the referee called an early halt to proceedings, Ealing made their traditional fast start and took an early lead through inside centre George Emmerson, following a period of sustained pressure, with his tenth try in his debut season. Harry Vidler converted. Hampstead, fourth in the league and capable of beating any team in the league, showed plenty of attacking intent but hit a brick wall in the Ealing defence and went further behind after 12 minutes when prop Leo Codrington-Lambert forced his way over from close range. With two of the four tries needed for the bonus point already in the bag, Vidler kicked three points with half an hour gone to stretch the lead to 17-0, although the visitors pulled five back with a try two minutes later, attacking down the blind side from a penalty lineout. Undeterred, Ealing were quickly back in the ascendancy and scored a third try, a fifth in just four appearances for full back Cillian Corkery. Vidler was again successful with the conversion attempt. Hampstead, who competed throughout, reduced the deficit again just before the break, to leave the score at 24-10 and victory for 1871 by no means assured.

With sevens minutes of the second period gone right wing Josh Steadman set off on  a strong run out of defence which was stopped only at the cost of a penalty and yellow card. A powerful driving maul from the ensuing lineout produced the crucial bonus-point fourth try, finished off by Albert Stoute, with Vidler adding the extras. Ten minutes later Hampstead reduced the deficit to 31-15 with an overlap in the right-hand corner, but Emmerson notched his second try of the evening soon afterwards and Josh Steadman almost immediately scored Ealing’s sixth with a strong finish in the corner. The try of the match came with five minutes remaining with a beautifully weighted cross-field kick collected by Carlos Duarte. Vidler converted to close out an entertaining and well-refereed contest.

The promotion-winning victory marked the last appearance for the club of No 8 Will Day, who has been with the club since the age of six and is moving abroad with work. Man of the match was second row Reggie Elliot-Jones for a typically robust performance, with an honourable mention for flanker Toby Holt, who hade hard yards all evening.

An emphatic win in a physical game where they dominated the breakdown situations means 1871 can look forward to their first ever season of Level 6 rugby, where they will lock horns with local rivals such as Old Priorians and renew rivalries with clubs further afield where Ealing played regularly in years gone by such as Beaconsfield and Marlow. Congratulations to the coaching team of Phil Smith, Eddie Beck, Dave Brathwaite and Mikey Williams for an outstanding season in which both the 1^st and 2^nd XVs have gained promotion and training sessions have been regularly attended by over 40 players.