5 May 2025
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5
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Round 18 Round-Up
Catch up on the weekend's action in The Championship.
Ealing Trailfinders stay well clear at the top of the Championship thanks to a 13-try win over Cambridge, while Bedford Blues and Hartpury stay second and third respectively.
Bedford saw off London Scottish on a record-breaking day for Dean Adamson while Hartpury overcame Ampthill.
Cornish Pirates picked up an impressive win on the road at Coventry, with Chinnor and Doncaster Knights also victorious.
Chinnor second-half blitz too much for Nottingham
Chinnor produced a blistering second-half performance to power to a 41-22 win over Nottingham on Friday night.
Trailing 17-6 early in the second half, they proceeded to score 24 unanswered points before a late Nottingham score, with the result already wrapped up.
Director of rugby Nick Easter said: “I’m very pleased for the boys who produced the best half of rugby of our season. We trained really well after our poor display at Doncaster and it’s great to see all the effort and commitment bear fruit.”
Harry Clayton’s early maul try put Nottingham in front and they led 12-6 at the break thanks to David Williams’ opportunistic score.
Ryan Olowofela pushed the lead to 11 points, but from there, Chinnor clicked into gear with Luke Carter crossing twice, either side of a Grant Hughes score to make it 27-17.
Nathan Chamberlain was flawless from the kicking tee and grabbed a try of his own before Hughes completed his double. Tom Manz’s late score ensured Nottingham at least took a point from the game.
Hartpury extend unbeaten home record
Hartpury pulled away from a stubborn Ampthill side to earn a 38-14 win and keep their unbeaten home record intact.
They got off to a great start as James Short made a try for namesake Harry before a stunning second, finished by Mike Austin after Ollie Holiday had started it from his own line.
Ampthill responded before half-time with a try from Sione Vaenuku to trail 14-7 at the break.
The game was in the balance but Hartpury soon seized control as Aristot Benz-Salomon and Robbie Smith crossed to stretch the lead to 28-7.
Rhys Marshall responded quickly for the visitors but Harry Bazalgette slotted a penalty to push it back to a three-score lead.
And it was Hartpury who had the final say, Smith getting over for his second with five minutes to go to seal victory.
Garside hat-trick for Blues as Adamson breaks record
Alfie Garside scored a hat-trick as Dean Adamson became Bedford Blues’ record try-scorer in a 61-38 win over London Scottish.
Sat second in the table, Bedford flew out of the blocks with tries from Fred Tuilagi and then two from Garside to open up a 21-0 lead.
Scottish got back in it through their rolling maul, Austin Wallis getting two quick tries but Bedford finished the half the stronger as Michael Le Bourgeois and Will Maisey took them to a 35-10 advantage.
Dan Nutton got the Exiles’ third try before Adamson got on the scoresheet to rapturous applause to move past Derek Wyatt’s club record.
Scottish hit straight back to bring up their bonus point before Garside completed his hat-trick. When Robbie McCallum got over, the visitors trailed 47-31 with a quarter of the game remaining.
Tommy Herman got Bedford’s eighth, finally making the game safe with Matt Worley adding gloss to the scoreboard and Tom Wilstead ensuring Scottish had the final say in a 99-point game.
Ealing continue to set the pace with huge victory
A 13-try showing from Ealing Trailfinders maintained their healthy lead at the top of the Championship as they beat Cambridge 89-19.
Mike Willemse set them on their way before Jordy Reid and two tries from Ben Harris had the bonus point in the bag after 24 minutes.
They managed another 30 points before half-time to lead 56-0, including the first of two tries for Rob Farrar.
Eli Caven got Cambridge on the board with the first try of the second half before back-to-back scores from Ollie Newman.
Michael Stronge and Farrar’s second pushed Ealing past 80, with Geordie Irvine adding another after Matt Hema had got Cambridge’s second.
Joe Green got a third for the home side, who had the final say.
Pirates earn big win at Coventry
In a battle towards the top of the table, Cornish Pirates battled to a 21-14 win away to Coventry to move to within two points of their opponents on the day.
The visitors had the better of the early exchanges and led 14-0 thanks to tries from Arthur Relton and Matt Pritchard, the latter from a rolling maul.
Ryan Hutler got Coventry back to within a score at the break with his 10th try of the season, and they drew level when Dan Green got over from close range in the second half.
Pirates regained the lead from another maul, Jack Forsythe the scorer, and that proved to be the difference between the sides.
Knights too strong for Caldy
Doncaster Knights pulled away in the second half to record a 33-15 win away to Caldy.
Russell Bennett had put them in front after just two minutes with a brilliant individual score before the home side took the lead thanks to an Ollie Hearn try, converted by Lewis Barker.
George Roberts restored Doncaster’s lead, and they went in 12-10 up at the break after a penalty from Barker cut the deficit to two points.
Tries from Jordan Olowofela and Aidan Cross gave the Knights some breathing space before Matt Gallagher crossed for Caldy’s second try.
Any chance of a comeback was extinguished when Rhys Tait went over for Doncaster’s fifth try, wrapping up a bonus-point success.