Oxford City 1-1 Morecambe ( att : 1,206 ) - 2026/27 National League North

September 26, 2026

Today saw Fatbear’s first visit to Court Place Farm since the opening day 1-0 victory over Bedford Town, with former Football League club Morecambe making their first ever appearance at Oxford City.

Oxford City Update

The Hoops had been in impressive form and came into today’s game in second place in National League North with a 6-1-2 record. Their results away from home had been particularly impressive, with wins at Spalding United ( 1-0 ), Spennymoor ( 4-1 ), Worksop Town ( 1-0 ) and Radcliffe ( 3-0 ). The only set-back away from Marsh Lane was a 0-1 reverse at AFC Telford, when top scorer Tyrone Marsh was suspended.

At home, a frustrating 1-1 draw had been played out against Harborough Town, Buxton had performed a 2-3 ambush to leave win the three points, but Chorley had been despatched 4-0.

Oxford City had progressed in the FA Cup with a 2-0 win at step 4 Dorchester Town, which had been rewarded with a home tie in the next round against step 3 Enfield Town of the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Oxford City’s average home attendance so far this season was 926.

Morecambe

Morecambe is a seaside town in Lancashire on the Irish sea with a population of around 35,000. It is perhaps most famous for comedian Eric Morecambe, who took his stage name from his home town.

Morecambe is also known for its off-shore fishing, and as a result its football team is known as The Shrimpers.

Morecambe FC were founded in 1920 and progressed through the local leagues until achieving promotion to the National League at the end of the 1994-95, although the FA Trophy had been won in 1973/74 with a 2-1 victory at Wembley over Dartford.

In 2005/06 Morecambe lost in the promotion play-offs to Hereford United, but made amends in the following season, beating York City in the play-off semi-final, then overcoming Exeter City 2-1 at Wembley to achieve promotion to the Football League.

Morecambe’s first season in the Football League saw them finish in 11^th place, and their league status was narrowly retained over the subsequent seasons until 2020/21, when a fourth placed finish saw them overcome Tranmere Rovers in the promotion play-off semi-final, then Newport County were beaten 1-0 in extra time in the Wembley final to see the Shrimpers promoted to the third tier.

The Shrimpers achieved a 19^th place finish in their first season in League One, but financial problems contributed to the club being relegated at the end of the end of the 2022/23.

Despite the ongoing financial issues, Morecambe finished in 15^th in their first season back in League 2. However, this only delayed the inevitable, and the club finished bottom at the end of the 2023/24 season, 13 points from safety.

Their return to the National League was problematic, with their first three matches being postponed as uncertainty over their viability to complete the season persisted. However, the sale of the club to the Punjab Warriors was eventually completed, and the Shrimpers were permitted to start playing. Despite, or perhaps because of, signing a whole new squad from scratch, Morecombe could only finish in 22^nd place, 8 points from safety and were condemned to playing in step 2 for the first time since 1995.

The consequence of relegation saw 18 players released, including Ludwig Francillette, who joined Oxford City, and again a new squad needed to be assembled for this season.

When Morecambe achieved promotion to the Football League in 2007 they were playing at Christie Park, but a new stadium was already in the pipe-line, and Morecambe move in to the Globe Arena in 2010. The stadium has also been known as The Bay Stadium, before the current sponsorship had named it the Halo Aerospace Stadium. The official capacity is 6,473, with 2,173 seats.

Morecambe’s home colours are red and black stripped shirts, with white shorts and red socks.

Last season’s average attendance was 2,916 but was only 2,277 at the early stage of this season.

Watching Morecambe

Fatbear had seen Morecambe on two occasions. In August 2008, Fatbear paid £19 to see the opening game of Morecambe’s second season in the Football League at Wycombe Wanderers, and in front of a crowd of 4,021, defender David Artell’s second half equaliser gave The Shrimpers a 1-1 draw.

In February 2018, Fatbear took Mrs Fatbear to the match-day hospitality at Wycombe, where £45 each was ridiculously good value for a prime seat, a three-course meal, parking outside the main stand, a programme, team-sheet, pre-and post-match presentations, half-time tea/coffees and biscuits, and access to a pay bar.

On the pitch, 39-year-old Morecambe midfielder Kevin Ellison was in a different class, despite being the wind-up merchant that you love when he is in your side and hate when in the opposition. Wycombe were in 2^nd place with Morecambe in 22^nd place in League 2, but Ellison’s two goals and an outstanding overall performance led The Shrimpers to an unexpected 4 goal lead, before two late consolation goals made the scoreline a little more respectable for Wycombe at 2-4. Wycombe went on to win automatic promotion, whilst Morecambe stayed up on goal difference !

 

Morecambe This Season

Morecambe came into today’s game with a 4-1-4 record to sit in 10^th place in National League North. Their form had been noticeable better at home, starting with a 1-1 draw with Spennymoor, then a 0-1 home defeat to highly fancied South Shields, before beating AFC Telford 2-1 and Buxton 4-0. Last Saturday, Southport were beaten 2-0 in the FA Cup, where they will host Darlington in the next round.

The Shrimpers’ away form had not been so smart, with losses at Harborough Town ( 0-1 ), Radcliffe ( 1-2 ) and Southport ( 1-2 ), although Chester City had been beaten 1-0.

 Morecambe Squad

Ex-Huddersfield, Harrogate and Hartlepool midfielder Matty Daly was the joint top scorer this season with 3 goals, alongside ex-Barrow, Stockport County, Telford and Chorley midfielder Eliott Newby.

Keeper Myles Boney started at Blackpool but then played over 160 times for South Shields, Welsh Under 21 international defender Cameron Coxe had started his career at Cardiff before moving on to Colchester and Boreham Wood ( and was part of the Wood side that were hammered 4-0 in the National League at Oxford City in 2023 ), whereas Welsh left-back Ben Williams was ex-Barnsley, Cheltenham and Carlisle United.

Veteran centre-back Liam Hogan had played for Halifax, Tranmere, Gateshead, Salford, Stockport County, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale, whilst fellow centre-back Lewis Baines was ex-Altrincham and Chorley.

Central-midfielder Paul Lewis had previously played for Macclesfield, Cambridge United, Tranmere Rovers and Northampton Town, whilst midfielder Jake Cain was ex-Newport County and Swindon. Centre-forward Ronnie Blois was previously with Leiston Town and midfielder Ruben Curley was on loan from Stoke City.

Veteran striker Joe Garner had done the rounds at Carlisle, Nottingham Forest, Watford, Glasgow Rangers, Ipswich and Fleetwood amongst others, and was a substitute for Oldham Athletic at Crawley Town last season in a game covered by these diaries.

Midfielder Isaac Buckley-Ricketts had started at Manchester City and had been loaned to FC Twente and Oxford United before playing for Warrington Town, Curzon Ashton and Macclesfield.

Morecambe’s manager was Adam Lakeland, who left Halifax in the summer to join the Shrimpers on a 3-year contract.

Matchday Information

According to AA Route Planner, the journey from Morecambe to Oxford is 210 miles via the M6, M42 and M40, and should normally take around just under 4 hours. A sold-out coach was leaving Morecambe at 08.45 am !

For some reason the match was segregated and it looked like around 150 Shrimps fans had made the journey.

Tickets for today’s match were £13 online or £16 at the gate for adults. There were a whole range of reductions depending on ages, from seniors to children.

Oxford City had restarted producing printed programmes for this season, at a cost of £3.50, and free team sheets were also given out. A cup of tea cost £2.50 but many fans from both sides were happily drinking their pints whilst watching the game, so perhaps Andy Burnham should start going to National League North matches rather than to Everton !

 

The weather at the 15.00 kick-off was sunny and 19 degrees.

Bet365 made Oxford City 21/20 favourites, with Morecambe at 19/10 and the draw at 5/2.

The Oxford City starting XI showed three changes from the side that started in the FA Cup at Dorchester, with the return of Dejan Tetek, Scott Pollock and Ellis Brown, with Zac McEachran and Tyrae Njogu dropping to the bench and Dillon Da Silva away on international duty with Sri Lanka. In comparison, Morecambe made just one change to their victorious side in the FA Cup, with Garner replacing Blois, who was missing altogether from their match day squad.

Morecambe were playing in their usual red and black stripes, although the back of the shirts were all red. Oxford City were in their usual blue and white hoops with blue shorts and socks

Match Report

The match started at a frantic pace, with play going from end to end. From a Morecambe free-kick, Garner flicked on for Daly but Hoops left-back Evan Humphries did well to shepherd the ball off for a goal-kick.

Francillette played a long ball out of the Oxford City defence to Briar Bateman who played in Pollock, but a good tackle saw the ball go out of play and a goal-kick was given.

In the third minute a left-wing cross from Brown was kept in play by Bateman’s header. Josh Ashby was first to the loose ball but was forced out wide then crowded out by the Morecambe defence.

Ashby and Pollock were then involved in a nice passing movement to release Brown down the left wing but the low ball into the Morecambe area was cut-out by Hogan.

Humphries then again did well defensively under pressure from Lewis to earn a goal-kick for Oxford City.

The referee had given a series of soft free-kicks to the visitors but then missed a more obvious foul on Newby !

The home side nearly shot themselves in the foot when keeper Jonny Maxted passed straight to Daly, but the ball intended for Teddy Collis at the far post was over hit.

The first yellow card of the match arrived in the 16^th minute when Collis tripped Ashby as the Oxford City midfielder ran past him.

Morecambe full-back Coxe appeared to be hurt whilst trying to tackle Brown but made a remarkable recovery after seemingly being shot by a snipper in the stands.

It was then the Morecambe keeper’s turn to make a careless clearance out of defence, passing to Pollock, who laid the ball off to Tetek, whose shot from the edge of the area, took a deflection and looped high in the air for Boney to catch and spare his own blushes.

With 26 minutes played, an in-swinging free-kick from Morecambe full-back Williams was headed a couple of feet wide by Garner. It wasn’t clear if the referee had awarded a free-kick for offside, he made a strange signal, but Oxford City restarted play inside their 6-yard box.

The soft free-kicks to the visitors were continuing and disrupting the flow of the game, although Garner’s constant holding of Francillette’s shirt seemed to be acceptable to the officials.

A Garner long-range effort came off the head of Francillette and rebounded toward Newby, but good defending by Deago Nelson won a throw-in for the home side.

Ashby then did well to beat Williams close to the right-hand touchline but then strangely decided to shoot from out wide rather than cross to colleagues in the Morecambe penalty area, and the ball bounced innocuously through to keeper Boney.

Williams did much better a minute later, beating Nelson to intercept a long cross-field ball and headed off in the direction of the Oxford City half and played Daly into the left-hand channel, but after running into the Oxford City area, Daly’s left-footed effort was blazed narrowly over the bar. It was the best chance of the match so far.

Oxford City’s response was for Pollock to skip past three would be tacklers until being brought down by the fourth. With the ball falling to Tyrone Marsh, the referee played an advantage, but the 25-yard effort from The Hoops top scorer was straight at Boney, who made a regulation catch.

Oxford City won a free-kick mid-way inside the Morecambe half, with was taken quickly by Ashby over the defensive back-line, but Marsh tumbled over inside the penalty area. The referee allowed play to continue, and a penalty would have been very soft had it been given.

The yellow cards were levelled up when Tetek lost possession and then fouled Coxe in his effort to recover the situation. The free-kick was punched away by Maxted.

With half-time approaching, Francillette hoofed a long ball deep into the Morecambe half but the attempted header by Coxe back to his keeper was weak, and Brown nipped in ahead of the keeper. However, his attempt to flick the ball over Boney was just as poor so it was an easy save for the Shrimpers keeper.

The game’s first comedy moment came in the 43^rd minute. Morecambe had a free-kick inside their half and Marsh stood over the ball. The referee twice very loudly told Marsh to move away from the ball, but Marsh failed to comply, leaving the referee little alternative other than to brandish the yellow card, which from an Oxford City perspective was totally unnecessary.

On the stroke of half-time, Morecambe won the first corner of the match, which was headed away by Francillette. The clearance went as far as Williams, whose left-footed volley from 25 yards sailed high and wide.

It remained goal-less at the interval after a half of plenty of endeavour, a lot of pretty football, but precious few chances.

The home side started the second period strongly as Pollock and Brown combined to release Bateman, who shot over from around 10 yards but it must have taken a deflection as a corner was given.

After a short corner routine, Ashby played the ball towards the far post. Francillette stretched but could only divert the ball just wide of the post.

Brown then played a pass for Marsh to run towards the byline, but Baines stopped the move with a good tackle.

Morecambe nearly took the lead out of the blue. Oxford City centre-back Darnell Johnson hooked away a ball into the Hoops area only for Garner to volley first-time from out wide on the right. Maxted was nearly taken by surprise, but reacted to make a one-handed diving save to push the ball away.

Pollock was catching the eye with his strong running, and this time he released Brown on the left, but the pass intended for Ashby was over-hit.

At the other end Newby won a corner for the visitors which was again headed away by Francillette.

A minute later Oxford City lost possession just inside the Morecambe own half, Williams played a nice pass for Newby to run down the left wing and play a ball across the goalmouth. Garner was unmarked at the back post and slammed the ball into the roof of the net from close range. 0-1 after 54 minutes.

The home side appeared to be shocked by falling behind as twice sloppy play allowed the ball to go out of play for throw-ins to Morecambe. However, Nelson then went on an impressive run from deep inside his own half to the edge of the Morecambe area, then slipped a pass to Bateman on the right-wing, but the Birmingham City youngster’s cross went behind the on-rushing attackers.

Morecambe were working hard to defend their lead and their high press was making it difficult for Oxford City to play their passing football.

With 63 minutes on the clock, Bateman did well on the right wing to send a cross towards the far post. Marsh again hit the deck, and again the referee didn’t think it was worthy of a penalty, which looked to be the right decision.

Two minutes later there was some uncertain defending in the Oxford City area but the shot from Collis was blocked, and the Hoops were eventually able to clear.

At the other end Collis then cynically elbowed Brown in the back as the Oxford City winger was heading towards the byline. A free-kick was awarded but the referee’s card stayed in his pocket.

From Fatbear’s vantage point a long way away, it first looked as if Ashby’s free-kick from close to the corner flag had gone in at the far post, but play carried on, and Pollock's close range prod was cleared off the line.

Pollock went off on another long run but was unable to control the return pass from Marsh.

Francillette then played a poor pass out of defence to substitute Buckley-Ricketts, who fed Newby to run into the Oxford City area, but after some more uncertain defending, Maxted was able to pick up the loose ball.

The next comedy moment came when Garner made a pathetic attempt to win a free-kick after the slightest contest when challenging Francillette, and then pretended to be injured as play continued. After the ball went out of play Garner made the greatest recovery since Lazarus to get up and start berating the referee. It was totally embarrassing, and it turned out to be his last contribution as he was immediately substituted. It was probably a wise decision by Morecambe………..

With 15 minutes remaining, Williams did well on the left wing but Newby headed the cross well wide. Oxford City took play down the other end and after good chest control, Ashby volleyed narrowly wide from 20 yards.

In the 80^th minute, after an Oxford City corner was headed across goal by Francillette, the ball fell to Marsh at the far post, but somehow his close-range effort was blocked on the line as again heroic defending had denied the home side.

The Hoops were leaving gaps at the back as they surged forward in search of the equaliser, and a chip forward by Cain was met by the unmarked Lewis, but his header crashed back off the underside of the bar and Maxted gathered.

Zac McEachran went on a typically mazy run and then played Alfie Potter in space inside the Morecambe area, but Lewis Leigh made a tremendous tackle to concede a corner.

After the corner was cleared, the referee stopped play to show a yellow card, but it wasn’t clear who the recipient was. It looked like it was to a Morecambe player, but play restarted with a free-kick to Morecambe !

The Shrimpers could have put the game to bed in the 89^th minute after Buckley-Ricketts put Curley free on the left, and his low cross to the near post was met by Daly, but Maxted somehow made the block with his legs.

Six added minutes were to be played and McEachran skipped inside a tackle, but his 20-yard effort was held by Boney. Oxford City forced a free-kick just outside the Morecambe area but after it was headed clear, Potter produced a fantastic volley from 20 yards, with the ball arrowing into the bottom corner with Boney a helpless spectator. 1-1 after 95 minutes.

There was still time for one last Morecambe attack, but Adam Fairclough’s header was easily saved by Maxted.

At the final whistle the points were shared, which on balance was probably a fair result. Oxford City twice saw efforts cleared off the line, whilst Morecambe twice came close to extending their lead. Oxford City dopped to third in the table, whilst Morecambe remaining in 11^th. However, it would not surprise Fatbear to see Morecambe challenging for a play-off place come the end of the season.

Highlights :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAFKMyjRpxw

Oxford City : Maxted – Nelson, Francillette, Johnson, Humphries – Ashby, Tetek ( McEachran ), Pollock, Brown ( Potter ) – Bateman ( Smith ), Marsh

Morecambe : Boney – Coxe, Hogan, Baines, Williams – Collis ( Buckley-Ricketts ), Lewis, Daly ( Fairclough ), Cain ( Curley ), Newby – Garner ( Leigh )

 

 

 

FA Saiuliai 0-2 FK Kauno Zalgiris ( att : 302 ) – 2026 Lithuania A-Lyga

September 20, 2026

With Kauno Zalgiris being drawn to be one of Brighton and Hove Albion’s opponents in the Europa Conference this was an opportunity to see them in action in their last league fixture before travelling to the Amex in mid-October.

These diaries had regularly covered the Lithuanian A-Lyga, with 17 reports to-date, with the last being a meeting between FC Hegelmann and FA Saiuliai back in March, which had ended in a 1-1 draw. 10 round-ups were published in 2020 as football returned from Covid and when the A-Lyga consisted of just 6 teams. There were also reviews of the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Kauno Zalgiris had featured in two match reports, a 2-1 home victory over Dziugas Telsiai and a disappointing 0-3 home reverse to FK Suduva, both in 2022.

A-Lyga Update

The A-Lyga was rebranded before the start of this season as TOPLYGA, and had consisted of 10 sides since 2021.

Following the unexpected success of FK Panevezys winning the title in 2023, normality returned in 2024 when FK Zalgiris won their 11^th title. However, 2025 saw another surprise when Kauno Zalgiris won their first ever title, which gave them a place in this season’s Champions League qualifiers.

One unusual feature of the A-Lyga is that the early rounds are played indoors on artificial pitches until the weather improves so games can be played outdoors. Fatbear struggles to understand why the season in Lithuania can’t be scheduled to avoid having to play any matches in the indoor domes !

The 2026 season had now reached round 28 but the withdrawal of FK Riteriai early in the season due to financial difficulties, with their results expunged meant the season was now only 32 matches, so most sides would have only four more games to play after this week-end.

This was the last game of the weekend and leaders Suduva had already been held 1-1 at lowly Hegelmann after conceding a 95^th minute penalty. Kauno therefore could go top by beating Saiuliai today. Transinvest had leapfrogged over FK Zalgiris after a 3-0 home victory to move into 3^rd place, five points behind Suduva but one point ahead of FK Zalgiris.

With the demise of Riteriai there would be no automatic relegation this season, but Saiuliai needed a miracle to avoid the relegation play-off against the second-placed team in the Second Division, coming into today 9 points adrift of Hegelmann but with just 4 games left to play.

FK Kauno Zalgiris

There are two sides in Lithuania with the name Zalgiris. The Battle of Zalgiris in 1410, where an alliance between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the German-Prussian Teutonic Knights, is considered to be one of the major milestones in the history of Lithuania, representing the victory of a repressed people, a symbol of national pride and symbol of struggle against foreign invaders.

Vilnius based FK Zalgiris are long standing stalwarts of club football in Lithuania. On the other hand, FK Kauno Zilgiris were only formed in 2004 in the second city of Kaunas, approximately 100 km west of the capital Vilnius, and adopted the Zalgiris moniker in 2014 when they became the football section of the Zalgiris Kaunas Basketball club. Understandably FK Zalgiris filed a complaint to the Lithuanian football league on the basis of league rules not allowing two teams to have the same name, and when this was not resolved, legal action followed. Matters were not helped by the new side also playing in green shirts, Zalgiris being Grunwald in German ( or Green Forest in English ). However, the football continues.

Kauno’s home is the 15,026 capacity Darius and Girenas Stadium, which is apparently the largest in the Baltics, and has a hybrid grass surface. Kauno returned to the stadium in 2023 after four years of renovations had finally been completed. Kauno’s nickname is The Green-Whites.

Kauno’s average attendance this season was 2,229, up from 1,835 last season. The grudge match against FK Zalgiris drew a crowd of 8,308.

Kauno Zalgiris Squad

There were 17 foreigners in the Kauno squad, but 6 of the 7 current international players were Lithuanian.

Left-winger Fedor Cernych ( 103 caps ) joined Kauno in 2024 after having played in Belarus, Poland, Russia, Cyprus and India, and midfielder Vykintas Slivka ( 74 caps ) was a youth player at Juventus, being loaned out to Gorica in Croatia and Den Bosch, before spending three seasons with Scottish side Hibernian. He had since played in Greece and Japan.

Midfielder Gratas Sirgėdas ( 27 caps ) had been with the club since 2020 so had been regularly mentioned in these diaries, and keeper Tomas Švedkauskas ( 15 caps ) started at Roma before going on to play on loan for several lower league sides in Italy, then joined Belgian side Lommel before returning to Lithuania, with Kauno being his 5^th side in his homeland.

Centre-back Rokas Lekiatas ( 15 caps ) played over 100 times for Saiulial then had a short spell in Romania with U Craiova, whilst winger Motiejus Burba ( 6 caps ) was a junior at Crystal Palace and played for Sevenoaks before returning home to play for Dziugas, FK Zalgiris and Suduva before joining Kauno.

The international outlier was right-back Joris Moutachy, who had represented Martinique on 9 occasions.

Notable players from overseas included Croatian forward Gabriel Debeljuh, who appeared in these diaries whilst playing for CFR Cluj, ex-Hadjuk Split Australian midfielder Anthony Kalik featured here after scoring for Gorica, whilst journeyman Brazilian forward Renan Oliveira was ex-Zalgiris and had played in Slovakia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Bosnia and Colombia.

Serbian full-back Marko Konatar had played over 100 times for Zeleznicar Pancevo in the Serbian top flight, Colombian centre-back Aldayr Hernadez had played for three sides in Finland, Georgian defender Anton Tolordava had played in Estonia, Kazakhstan, Serbia and for Telavi back home, whilst Kosovan full-back Lirim Kastrati had played for Ujpest and Widzew Lodz and had 15 caps, but the last of which was in 2023.

Croatian winger Leon Krekovic had played for Hajduk Split and Beerschot plus sides in Finland, Poland and Bosnia, Argentine midfielder Franco Baldassarra had played for Talleres and Greek side Panetolikos, Japanese midfielder Yukiyoshi Karashima was ex-Hegelmann and FK Zalgiris and had also played in Latvia for Riga and RFS, and HJK Helsinki, whilst French forward Fabien Ourega had played for Virton, FC Paris, Sochaux, Orleans, Zalgiris and Astana.

Ex-Lokeren, Charleroi and Kortrijk Belgian midfielder Amine Benchaib was the highest valued Kauno player according to Transfermrky at €800K, with Moutachy, Sirgedas and Burba rated at €600K. Benchaib was the top goalscorer so far this season with 10 goals.

Kauno Zalgiris In Europe

Until last season, Kauno had a pretty dismal record in European competitions, with the only tie won coming against Europa from Gibraltar, whilst the eliminations had been a 1-10 aggregate thrashing at the hands of The New Saints, plus heavy defeats to Apollon Limassol, Bodo/Glimt and Lech Poznan, although a 0-0 draw had been forced against Slovak side Ruzomberok after the away leg had been lost 0-2.

Last season though, Welsh side Penybont were eliminated 4-1 on aggregate, then Valur from Iceland were overcome 3-2 over two legs. The run ended after losing both legs to Bulgarian side Arda to go out 0-3 on aggregate.

In this year’s Champions League qualifiers, Kauno got past Kosovan side Drita, winning the second leg 3-2 in Pristina thanks to a 95^th minute penalty by Benchaib after a 1-1 draw at home, then Kauno squeezed past Faroe Islands champions KI, drawing 0-0 in Torshavn before a late winner from Krekovic in the return. However, Dinamo Zagreb were too strong in the third qualifying round as Kauno crashed out of the Champions League 1-7 on aggregate.

Dropping down to the Europa League qualifiers, a 0-3 loss to Besiktas in Istanbul put paid to any hopes of progressing further although a consolation 1-0 home win was registered in front of a crowd 7,079 in Kaunas. However, the two wins in the Champions League qualifiers were enough to guarantee a place in the Europa Conference group stages, only the second time a side from Lithuania had achieved this, after FK Zalgiris in 2022/23.

Apart from Brighton, Kauno will have trips to Lugano and Albanian side Egnatia to look forward to, and will host Norwegian side Brann, Freiburg from Germany and a tasty Baltic derby against Riga.

FA Saiuliai

FA Saiuliai were founded in 2007 as a football academy and worked their way up the Lithuanian pyramid to achieve promotion to the A-Lyga for the 2022 season. With a squad of Lithuanian players, plus two from Ukraine, Saiuliai finished 3^rd in 2023 to qualify for their only season in Europe, where they lost 0-2 on aggregate to Estonian side Levadia.

In the past two seasons Saiuliai had finished 7^th and 5^th, but came into today’s game with just 3 wins from 28 games. Only five of the squad that played in the game at Hegelmann in March were to be involved today as the revolving door principle seemed to be in operation to stop the rot, but with little success.

Last season their average attendance was 656 but this season it was only 385, with the highest attendance being 573 for the visit of Dziugas.

FA Saiuliai Squad

Despite their reputation as an academy for local talent, Saiuliai’s squad for the start of this season contained seven foreigners. Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, more commonly known as Benny, had been on the books of Feyenoord and loaned to Dordrecht, whilst Ghanaian midfielder Divine Naah had been at Manchester City as a youth, and had subsequently appeared for NAC Breda, AFC Tubize and FC Nordsjaelland in addition to playing for sides in Norway, Sweden, Israel, Malta, Azerbaijan as well as several seasons at Kauno Zalgiris in Lithuania.

Full-backs Marko Mandic and Lazar Vukovic were from Serbia but Portuguese winger Rui Batalha had now left to return to Portugal, Danish midfielder Sammy Skytte had returned to the Faroe Islands and was now playing for NSI Runavik, and Nigerian centre-forward Chidera Nwoga had re-signed for FK Transinvest, his previous side in Lithuania. In their place came Ukrainian midfielder Artem Baftalovskyi who was a free agent after losing his job following the demise of Riteriai, and Bosnian midfielder Dino Hasonovic from Sloboda Tuzla.

Star midfielder Daniel Romanovskis ( 12 caps ) was back at the club after a brief spell with Dinamo Tbilisi, whilst right-back Martynas Dapkus ( 16 caps ) was ex-Kauno. Latvian forward Davis Ikaunieks ( 43 caps ) arrived in June from Kauno.

Brooklyn Leipus, who was a substitute in the Hegelmann game in March, was now playing for Didcot in the Southern League Division One South !

Previous Meetings This Season

In their first meeting this season played in Saiuliai, Kauno ran out comfortable 5-0 winners, but Saiuliai proved to be much tougher opposition in the return, forcing a 0-0 draw in Kaunas. However, Kauno made amends by winning their second home match 4-0.

Kauno had also beaten Saiuliai in the Lithuanian Cup, winning the semi-final in Saiuliai 1-0, and they now play second tier FK Minija Kretinga in the final the weekend before they go to Brighton.

Matchday Information

The journey from Kaunas to Saiuliai is approximately 145 kms and should normally take just over 2 hours. It looked like around 20 Kauno supporters had made the journey.

The match was being played at the Saiuliai Central Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,017. It has a grass pitch but a running track around the playing area. The obligatory ambulance was parked on the track behind one of the goals.

The weather at the 16.00 kick-off ( 14.00 UK time ) was dry and the temperature 18 degrees, and entrance to the game was €4.

The match was streamed live on the A-Lyga website and also on the TOPLYGA YouTube channel with a commentary in Lithuanian.

Bet365 made Kauno 3/10 favourites, with Saiuliai at 11/1 and the draw 10/3.

Kauno made three changes to the side that had lost 2-3 last time out at Zalgiris, with Kastrati, Hernandez and Slivka starting in place of Moutachy, Lekiatas and Karashima.

FA Saiuliai made one change from the side that drew their last match 0-0 at home to Hegelmann, with Augustas Valuckas replacing Deividas Dovydaitis

Kauno were playing in a change kit of white shirts with green shorts and white socks, whilst Saiuliai were wearing shirts with yellow and black stripes on the front, black sleeves and all yellow on the back, with black shorts and yellow socks.

Matchday Report

There was nearly a dramatic start to the match. With just over a minute played Saiuliai keeper Vilius Sivickas headed away a cross on the edge of his area when he probably could have caught it. Slivka dispossessed Dapkus in the middle of the Saiuliai half and slipped a pass for Benchaib to run on to, but the left-footed shot from 10 yards went over the bar.

In the 4^th minute, Burba ran onto a long ball out of the Kauno defence and fell over in the Saiuliai penalty area when attempting to shoot, and Hasanovic put the ball out of play for a corner. The attempted short corner routine was botched and Valuckas was alert to intercept and clear.

Kauno regained possession deep inside their half and Kalik launched the ball forward for his attackers to chase. Krekovic managed to shrug off Vukovic to get a first-time left-footed shot away from the edge of the Saiuliai area, which the diving Sivickas pushed away diving to his left. Burba got to the loose ball first but his first-time effort from a tight angle flashed across the face of the goal and a narrowly wide of the far upright.

Kauno should have taken lead in the 8^th minute. Kastrati picked up a pass from Kalik and ran at the Saiuliai defence and passed to Benchaib. A clever back-heel put Kastrati in space inside the Saiuliai area and he delivered a low ball across the 6-yard line from the right but Debuljuh mis-kicked in front of goal. The ball rolled past the far post and Dapkus’ attempted clearance hit Krekovic and ricoched off for a goal-kick.

Already it was looking just a matter of time before Kauno would open the scoring but Saiuliai then fashioned a half-chance of their own. Baftalovskyi’s flicked pass gave Dapkus some space to run onto down the right-wing, and a cross to beyond the far post found Valuckas, but his first time left-footed volley was blocked by the sliding Kastrati.

Shortly after, Debeljuh attempted to volley a right-wing cross from Burba and kicked Siauliai centre-back Edgaras Bierontas in the process and hurt himself, and needed some treatment. However, he was soon okay to continue. Some referees would have given a penalty, some a free-kick to Saiuliai, but play restarted with a goal-kick.

Kauno were nearly caught napping as Hasanovic spun past Slivka on the half-way line and lifted the ball over the square Kauno back-line. Naah ran onto the ball and was clear with just the keeper to beat, but his attempt to lift the ball over Svedkauskas was weak and the keeper was able to easily pat down and gather.

Kauno broke and Krekovic attempted to shoot from 25 yards but the ball bounced towards the keeper. Debeljuh stuck out a foot in an effort to divert the ball, but failed to make contact. In the meantime, Naah had stayed down in the Kauno area and the trainer came on to give some treatment, but it was probably more a case of the shame and embarrassment for squandering such a good chance !

In the 16^th minute, Kalik who was controlling the midfield, played a ball out to the right-wing and the low ball towards the near post from Burba needed to be put out of play for a corner by the stretching Bierontas. Under pressure, Debeljuh could only head the corner high and harmlessly over the bar.

After 19 minutes, Ikaunieks forced the first corner for the home side. The corner was easily punched away by Svedkauskas and Kauno had a 3 versus 2 break-away, but after Burba teed up Debeljuh, the Croatian’s touch was poor and the ball rolled away for a goal kick.

Both sides then had a spell of possession but without creating any danger, although Kalik’s optimistic 30-yard effort was deflected well wide for a corner.

In the 24^th minute Konatar was put into space on the left but his looping cross could only be headed high in the air by Debeljuh. Under pressure, Sivickas punched away from Slivka, and Dapkus hoofed clear.

Kauno continued to dominate but the Saiuliai defence was holding firm. On a rare foray into the Kauno half, Tolordava needed to produce an important sliding interception to prevent Romanovskis’ threaded through ball putting Ikaunieks clear.

The home side were nearly caught out trying to play around at the back when Benchaib charged down an attempted pass from the keeper and put the ball into the empty net. However, the ball had clearly struck the arm of the Belgian so the goal was disallowed and a free-kick awarded to Saiuliai.

With 33 minutes on the clock, the ball was chipped in from right by Kastrati but although Debeljuh’s header at back post was on target, it was saved low down by Sivickas.

The corner count continued to rack up in Kauno’s favour as Benny blocked a low cross from Konatar but Slivka’s header from the set-piece was high and wide.

Hasanovic then attempted to run into the Kauno half, but with the ball running away from him, his attempt to recover possession only succeeded in clattering into Burba, so the first yellow card of the game was shown in the 37^th minute. The card count was quickly levelled up as Burba then jumped into Vukovic, making little effort to win the header.

Another quick Kauno break after Saiuliai had given away possession led to Krekovic’s ball into the Saiuliai area being headed high in the air by Vukovic as he attempted to make an interception, and Sivickas made the punch away ahead of Kalik and Slivka, and the referee deemed the keeper had been fouled.

Kauno then had grounds for a penalty as Vukovic jumped into Burba going for a header inside the Saiuliai area, but the referee deemed it to be an accidental collision. However, it didn’t look too different to the challenge that saw Burba earlier seeing yellow, apart being outside the penalty area !

Baftalovskyi won the second corner of the match for the home side, but Vukovic’s in-swinging delivery was headed away by Tolardava. The half ended with another corner to the visitors but from Krekovic’s delivery, Debeljuh’s goal-bound header hit his own player, and Saiuliai were able to clear.

Somehow it remained goal-less at the interval, but it felt like Kauno would be kicking themselves if they failed to go on and win this game.

The second half continued with Kauno on the attack and also immediately, a volley from Kastrati was bravely blocked by the head of Bierontas, who went down injured and play stopped for treatment. When play resumed, Kalik teed up Kastrati, whose 25-yard swerving effort was pushed with difficulty by Sivickas and loose ball hoofed away.

In the 50^th minute, a cross from the left wing by Konatar was headed away but only as far to Benchaib, whose astute reverse pass across area enabled Slivka to shoot from close to the penalty spot, but Sivickas again dived to push the ball away for a corner.

Two minutes later, Kauno had another corner but slack defending by Saiuliai saw no defender tracking Kalik’s run to receive a short pass from Krekovic from the corner. The Australian midfielder had plenty of time to turn and pass to the unmarked Burba, who fired left-footed into the top corner from 12 yards. It was a super finish and Sivickas had no chance. 0-1 after 52 minutes

Kauno’s lead could have been doubled four minutes later when Krekovic was allowed to run into the Siauliai area, but his shot from 14 yards was pushed away by the diving Sivicka and Burba was unable to capitalise from the rebound but won a corner.

Kauno continued to press but Saiuliai defended manfully to keep them at bay, then against the run of play the home side put together a nice move of nearly 20 passes that ended with a low cross from Romanovskis being put over the bar on the turn by Ikaunieks from 10 yards.

In response, Benchaib looked to wriggle his way past a number of defenders inside the Saiuliai area but was crowded out.

With 71 minutes played, a Saiuliai free-kick came to nothing and on a quick break Renan Oliveira ran clear down the left wing and into the Saiuliai area, but the Brazilian could only smash his shot against the legs of the keeper and the ball bounced away for a corner.

The creative Benchaib then again ran into the Saiuliai area and got past two defenders but his attempt deflected off Benny for a corner.

After 77 minutes Sirgedas did well to make some space for himself, but his left-footed curling effort drifted a couple of feet wide of the Siauliai goalposts.

With the clock ticking, Saiuliai pushed forward but Karolis Zebrauskas’ cross was headed away and Bierontas’ hasty snap shot sailed high and wide. With less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining Dapkus pushed over Benchaib as he threatened to break into the Saiuliai half, so another yellow card was brandished.

The tackles were flying in and Dapkus was perhaps a little fortunate not to see a second yellow card after a challenge on Renan Oliveira, which perhaps the Brazilian made a meal of.

With four minutes remaining Kalik went down with what appeared to be cramp but Dapkus sportingly gave him some treatment.

With the end of the game approaching, Saiuliai pressed but the final pass was lacking, and Kauno comfortably defended.

In the 89^th minute, Kauno substitute Moutachy made a strong run and offloaded to Benchaib, but his 20-yard curling left-footed effort drifted well wide.

With the clock on 90 minutes, Benchaib was shown a yellow card for a challenge on Vukovic, whose over-dramatic fall ensured the sanction.

As the game drifted into added on time, Kauno finally clinched the three points. Sirgedas headed a goal-kick on to Benchaib, and then ran on to receive the return pass inside the penalty area. Looking up, Sirgedas prodded a left-footed pass across the 6-yard line where Baldassarra nipped in ahead of Mandic to stab home. 0-2 in the 92^nd minute.

With this victory, Kauno returned to the top of the table, but their next two match are likely to determine the destination of the title. First, Kauno travel to Suduva, following which they host FK Zalgiris. Kauno’s final fixture is away at third placed Transinvest, so they have the harder run in than Suduva.

Saiuliai now looked doomed to the relegation play-off, being 9 points adrift of Hegelmann with three matches remaining, which they would have to win all three, hope Hegelmann lose their last three games, and make up an adverse goal difference of 17 goals.

For Brighton watching supporters, Albion had already beaten Tromso 4-0 at the Amex, and on paper Kauno look to be weaker than the Norwegians. On today’s evidence, Kauno’s key players appeared to be Kalik to control the midfield, with Benchaib, Slivka, Kastrati and Burba to create some danger. Their back four would presumably face a far greater challenge than Saiuliai presented today, irrespective of what side Albion fielded in the Conference League.

Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIz_QrAz9Zg

FA Saiuliai : Sivickas – Dapkus, Benny, Bierontas, Vukovic – Baftalovskyi, Hasanovic ( Mandic ), Romanovskis, Naah ( Gustas ), Valuckas ( Zebrauskaus ) - Ikaunieks

FK Kauno Zalgiris : Svedkauskas – Kastrati ( Moutachy ), Tolordava, Hernandez, Konatar – Burba ( Sirgedas ), Benchaib, Kalik ( Cernych ), Slivka –Delbeljuh ( Renan Oliveira ), Krekovic ( Baldassarra )

 

 

 

 

 

Chinnor 26-43 Ealing Trailfinders ( att : 1,411 ) – 2026/27 Champ

September 19, 2026

After Chinnor’s home pre-season victories over a youthful Leicester Tigers and Caldy, the season started for real tonight with the little matter of an opening Champ fixture against Ealing Trailfinders.

Ealing’s pre-season had seen them lose in Ireland 14-26 to Connacht and then beat an Edinburgh A side 45-17 at home.

Champ Update

The points scoring system in the Champ had been changed for this season. The 4 try bonus point was no longer in operation, instead a try bonus point would now only be awarded to the side that scores three tries more than the opposition. The Champ is the only league in England to adopt this system, which is used in Australia and New Zealand, but nowhere else.

Another change was the kick-off times. Rather than having traditional 3pm Saturday afternoon starts, with an occasional Friday Night game, matches are now starting at times all over the weekend to maximise the viewers for Clubber TV’s live streams, and the one free-to-air match being broadcast by Blaze TV on Sunday afternoons. Tonight’s game was a 17.00 kick-off, which undoubtedly contributed to a lower than usual attendance, as Chinnor’s two previous home matches in the Champ against Ealing both had attendances of over 2,000.

Last Season Recap

Ealing won all 26 of their regular league games last season but were not overall champions due to the introduction of play-offs for the top 6, and Ealing were beaten by a last minute try to give Worcester Warriors a 34-29 victory in the semi-finals.

Chinnor’s 5^th place finished had given them a quarter-final game at Worcester, but despite looking in control for 55 minutes of the match, three tries in 15 minutes saw them eventually go down 29-35. Worcester went on to beat Bedford in the final to become champions in their come-back season, despite having lost 11 times in the league, including twice to Chinnor

Ealing fly-half Dan Jones was their top scorer during the season with 156 points, whilst hooker Scott Buckley scored 14 ties. For Chinnor, fly-half Nathan Chamberlain scored 139 points and hooker Alun Walker touched down 15 times.

When these two sides met back in January under Friday Night Lights, the match was 0-0 at half time, and with less than 10 minutes remaining Chinnor led 15-7. However, two late tries denied Chinnor a famous victory as Ealing edged to a 21-15 victory.

Ealing Trailfinders’ Squad

Ealing had their traditional high turnover in the close season with numerous leavers and new signings to their mammoth squad.

Notable departures included forwards Josh Taylor and Lefty Zigiriadis joining Northampton Saints, fullback Tobi Wilson moved to Bristol Bears, winger Geordie Gwynne had joined Edinburgh, and centre Jordan Holgate had signed for Newcastle Red Bulls. Ex-Chinnor fly-half George Worboys was now playing for Manawatu Turbos in New Zealand and full-back Richie Simpson was now with Chinnor.

The incoming players included prop Sam Grahamslaw from Bristol Bears, fly-half Louie Johnson and scrum-half Gareth Simpson from Saracens, centre Hayden Hyde from Harlequins, lock Freddie Stephens from Plymouth Albion, fly-half Jamie Humphries from Ulster, ex-Northampton Saints back row forward Jack Kelleher, centre Fionn Gibbons from Ulster, flanker Jarrod Taylor from Scarlets, lock Louis Finch from Mont-de-Marsan, Gloucester wing Jake Morris, prop Mikey Summerfield from Bath, lock Emeka Atuanya and back-row forward Fyn Brown from Northampton Saints, and prop Oscar Stott from Nottingham.

Matchday Information

According to AA Route Planner, the journey from Ealing to Thame is 40 miles and should normally take around 50 minutes down the A40 & M40.

The weather at the 17.00 kick-off was dry and the temperature was 20 degrees. The infamous Chinnor breeze was in attendance.

Online tickets for the game were £20 for adults, £18 for concessions, £10 for full-time students, whilst under 16s were allowed in free. Hospitality was £65. Tickets at the gate were £22 for adults.

The food vendors on site for the first competitive game of the season were the burger bar, pizzas, Souvlaki/Gyros, donuts and specialist tea and coffee, whilst a Kid’s Zone with an Iron Man inflatable and bouncy castle was in situ. A pint of XT4 was £5.17 with the members’ discount.

The Ealing gave debuts to six of their new players, Grahamslaw, Gibbons, Hyde, Johnson, Atuanya and Taylor, with Kelleher on the bench. Also making his debut was ex-Chinnor full-back Will Feeney who missed the whole of last season due to injury, whilst Chinnor’s Head Coach Craig Hampson was starting at scrum-half for Trailfinders !

Winger Toby Cousins, prop George Davis, lock George Shaw and prop Kabous Bezuidenhout had all worn the Chinnor shirt during loan spells from Ealing, whilst Atuanya had played twice for Chinnor on loan from Northampton.

The Chinnor line-up included only two of their new signings in their starting XV, ex-Ealing full-back Richie Simpson and Jack Metcalf on the wing. Returning prop Andy Darlington was amongst the substitutes, and these three were the only players who didn’t feature in last season’s game at home to Ealing. New Zealander Nick Smith was on the bench and would be making his 100^th appearance for The Villagers should he enter the fray.

Ealing were in a kit of all green whilst Chinnor were in their usual black and white hoops.

Matchday Report

The floodlights were already on when the game started as Chinnor kicked into the wind towards the ring-road end. The opening stages of the game were fairly uneventful as both sides worked their way into the game, although a clearing kick for Chinnor scrum-half Luke Carter was charged down but Metcalf claimed the loose ball.

A few drops of rain were falling but this was to last only for a few minutes.

Chinnor winger Kieran Goss set of on a run down the touchline and the home side were awarded a penalty at the ruck near half-way, which was kicked close to the Ealing 22. Walker threw the line-out to the first man and received a return pass to go charging towards the Ealing try-line, but was tackled short of the line, and Ealing were given the scrum 5 metres from their line at which they were awarded a penalty. However, the kick from Johnson was poor and barely cleared the Ealing 22.

Chinnor stole the line-out but the chip ahead was caught by a Trailfinder defender and the referee’s whistle gave a scrum to the visitors, from which they again won a penalty. This time the kick went to half-way.

The Ealing throw went too long and Chinnor gathered, but their attack ended with a knock-on, and Ealing won a third consecutive scrum penalty. This time they launched an up-and-under which was well claimed by Simpson, who made a break through the centre of the Ealing defence, but his attempted kick ahead hit an Ealing defender. Ealing regained possession and kicked back into the Chinnor half. Goss ran back into the Ealing half and Ealing infringed at the ruck. However, the wind was now quite strong so the Chinnor kick to touch made hardly any yards.

Conor Brockschmidt won the line-out for Chinnor and Carter’s high kick floated back in the wind but Chinnor were able to catch. When Carter kicked again Feeney called for the mark and kicked deep into the Chinnor half, where Simpson gathered and set off on a run, but his attempted pass went straight into touch.

Bobby De Wee won the Ealing line-out near the half-way line and Ealing spread the ball through their backs, and created an overlap for winger Gibbons to cross in the corner and then make his way to close to the posts before touching down. Johnson added the extras so Ealing led 7-0 after 13 minutes.

Ealing kicked the restart back to Chinnor and tackled Goss into touch for a line-out for the visitors, but after winning their line-out ball the move was ended with a knock-on in midfield.

Chinnor were awarded a free-kick at the scrum. A period of kick-tennis followed until an Ealing kick bounced into touch just outside the Chinnor 22. Jamie Campbell won the line-out for Chinnor but the ball was dropped in midfield and Ealing pounced to spread the ball wide to Gibbons who scythed through the Chinnor defence, and his inside pass saw the supporting Ealing player tackled just short of the tryline and the ball was knocked on.

Chinnor were under pressure at the scrum and although Carter was able to pick up the ball, he was converged on by a couple of tacklers. De Wee was able to claim the ball and dived over the whitewash. Johnson was wayward from the tee, but Ealing now led 12-0 with 21 minutes played.

The restart sailed with the wind straight into touch, to give Ealing a scrum on the half-way line. Chinnor were awarded a penalty at the set-piece, leading to some afters between the two packs.

Again, the kick for touch was caught in the wind and barely went 10 metres. Campbell’s tap at the line-out was poor and Ealing regained possession, and Hampson kicked high into the Chinnor 22. Chinnor were again under pressure as Metcalf was bundled into touch, leading to another flair-up between the forwards.

Ealing’s attacks following the line-out were repelled until prop Grahamslaw broke through the defensive line, and a return pass from Johnson enabled the ex-Bristol Bear to score under the posts. Johnson knocked over the conversion, meaning Ealing now lead 19-0 with 27 minutes on the clock.

Shortly after the restart, Hampson sent a superb 50:20 bouncing in to touch deep inside the Chinnor 22 and with predictable Inevitability after Atuanya had won the line-out, the rolling maul barged over the line with Taylor being credited with the score. The touchline conversion drifted wide, but Ealing were now 24-0 ahead after 31 minutes.

It was looking ominous for the home side but Trailfinders knocked on at the restart, and Chinnor forced a penalty at the scrum, which was kicked to within 15 metres of the Ealing line. Chinnor won their line-out ball and Ealing infringed, enabling the home side to kick to 5 metres. Campbell again ruled the air, and the rolling maul rumbled over for Chinnor’s first points of the match, with Walker being credited with the try. Chamberlain’s touchline conversion went wide so the score was now 5-24 with 37 minutes played.

Ealing were looking for another score before the interval, and although it looked like the referee had awarded a penalty to the visitors, the outcome was a scrum to Ealing. Trailfinders attempted to go wide from the scrum, but Metcalf made an interception, and Chinnor were awarded a penalty, which took them to just inside the Ealing half.

The line-out was thrown too long and Ealing were able to gain possession and kicked into the Chinnor 22, where Cousins was able to get to the ball ahead of Goss and then raced to score in the corner. The difficult conversion was missed so it was 5-29 at half-time.

Chinnor would have the advantage of the elements in the second half, but it felt like the wind was probably only worth 7 to 10 points, so Chinnor would need to produce something special to take anything from the game.

However, the home side started the second period on the front foot, and after forcing a penalty at a ruck, Campbell won the line-out inside the Ealing 22 from which centre James Bourton made a break for the tryline. After being stopped, Campbell took possession and dived for the line but was blocked just short. However, flanker Will Cave was on hand and forced his way over under the posts. Chamberlain’s conversion was a formality and Chinnor had reduced the deficit to 12-29 with 44 minutes played.

Ealing were penalised at the restart for what appeared to be for some players being ahead of the kicker, and Chinnor set-off on a great move from the scrum on half-way, with Metcalf and Simpson taking play into the Ealing 22. When the move was halted, Chamberlain sent a long pass to Metcalf, who fed Morgan Passman to score in the corner. A fabulous conversion from the touchline by Chamberlain now made the score 19-29 after 48 minutes.

Ealing had a scrum shortly after the restart, but again the penalty was awarded to Chinnor which was kicked to the Ealing 10 metre line. Campbell won the line-out and Carter sent the ball into orbit, but Gibbons claimed and called for the mark.

After the kick to the Ealing 10 metre line, Campbell again won line-out ball for Chinnor but the Chinnor attack was called back for a forward pass.

Hampson twice attempted high clearing kicks into the strong wind, and Ealing knocked on from the second. Chinnor again were awarded a penalty at the scrum and kicked to 25 metres from the Ealing line. Chinnor threw to Harry Dugmore who was unable to hold on to the ball and the knock-on gave a scrum to Ealing.

Yet again Trailfinders were penalised at the scrum and Chinnor had a penalty 25 metres out to the right of the posts. Last season it would have been a no-brainer to kick to 5 metres and go for the four try bonus point, but interestingly Chinnor opted to go for the posts to get within 7 points of Ealing. However, Chamberlain’s kick drifted wide of the uprights so it remained 19-29 after 61 minutes.

Ealing forced a penalty which they were able to kick to the Chinnor 22. Ealing won their line-out but dropped the ball in midfield, and Chinnor were able to fly-hack the ball to the half-way line. Ealing regained possession, and Hampson sent a tremendous cross-field kick which Hyde was able to volley past Goss, and he ran on to touchdown out wide for a try against the run of play. Johnson produced an excellent conversion from close to the touchline to extend Ealing’s lead to 36-19 with 65 minutes played.

When play restarted, a promising Chinnor attack was halted as the move was close to Ealing’s Taylor who was on the floor receiving treatment, and play recommenced with a scrum to Chinnor on their 10-metre line. Chinnor’s pack again won a scrum penalty which was kicked to about 8 metres from the Ealing line.

Campbell won the line-out and when Chinnor’s rolling maul got close to the try-line, replacement hooker Chris Moore was stopped short. When Chinnor moved the ball to their backs centre Tom Watson was tackled, but the Ealing defenders were obviously offside, and the penalty was kicked to 5 metres. History was repeated as Campbell won the line-out, Moore was stopped short of the line and Ealing were again offside.

Cave was able to collect the line-out tap from Campbell and again Ealing were penalised as Chinnor attacked, and although the referee spoke to the Ealing captain, his cards stayed in his pocket.

Campbell won the line-out but Ealing this time legally halted the rolling maul. Chinnor were forced to spread the ball but lovely hands from the backs saw Metcalf give a pass enabling Simpson to run to the corner from just inside the Ealing 22. Chamberlain added another fine conversion from out wide, taking the score to 26-36 with 75 minutes on the clock.

Any hope that Chinnor might score again to get a losing bonus point were soon dashed when Ealing produced an impressive maul following a line-out, making at least 10 meters, before releasing the ball to the backs and Hyde broke through a gap in the Chinnor defensive line to run 30 metres under the posts to take Ealing three tries clear of Chinnor. Johnson added the extras to take the score to 26-43 with 78 minutes played.

Ealing were finishing strongly and won a penalty at a ruck with a Chinnor player being off his feet, but the subsequent line-out was not straight. Chinnor won another scrum penalty to take play to the Ealing 22, but the line-out throw went long. Cave was able to gather but in a scrappy end to the game both sides knocked on and the referee blew for full-time.

Last year this would have been a 5-1 win for Trailfinders but under this season’s rules it was 5-0 to Ealing as they scored three more tries than Chinnor. However, both the BBC and RFU websites don't seem to yet be aware of the points system for this season as both their tables were wrong !

Ealing played some impressive rugby with ball in hand and again look the team to beat this season. However, after winning penalties at the first three scrums, they were penalised at nearly every subsequent scrum, so they have plenty to work on there.

Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt7cZMnVcdc