After watching an impressive performance from the Ealing Trailfinders professional side in beating Coventry, it was clear that Ealing 1871 were taking notes and wanted to bring their A game to second in the league Old Millhillians.

A surprisingly warm day in Hertfordshire given the fact we were nearing Christmas saw Ealing travel Watford in a 1st vs 6th game, hoping to continue their unbeaten season. The pitch looked wet and slippery, not lending favour to either the forwards or the backs.

On a cold, wet West London afternoon at the Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing 1871 took on top of the table Uxbridge RFC, who were previously unbeaten, in a game that would see Ealing take top spot should the result go their way.

After a long struggle to gain acceptance in the national league structure, the newly affiliated Ealing Trailfinders 1871 team finally made its debut in Herts Middlesex 2 on a warm mid-September afternoon against local rivals Actonians, and despite a sluggish start eventually came good to score nine tries in an entertaining encounter.