Ealing Trailfinders — Richmond: 36:19, Greene King IPA Championship

Ealing Trailfinders saw off Richmond 36:19 in the Greene King IPA Championship on Saturday afternoon at their home ground. The hosts moved clear at the top of the table with their second consecutive win, while the visitors remain rooted to the bottom after two defeats.

By then you could sense where this was heading. Ealing came in having beaten Chinnor 43:26 the previous weekend, and Richmond's form told a different story — a narrow loss to Empress Hill followed by two heavier defeats since their opening game.

And here's the thing about a scoreline like that. Thirty-six points against nineteen suggests the home side controlled territory and possession for long stretches, building pressure that eventually told. The gap between the teams showed through on the board.

Our prediction had called for this outcome, frankly. We gave Ealing victory with eighty percent confidence before kick-off, and watching the flow of the game, that assessment held water throughout.

What matters now is the standings. Ealing sit second with eight points from two matches, while Richmond languish in twelfth place with just a single point. The home side only trail whoever leads the division by a handful of points, and this result keeps them in touching distance.

Richmond have work to do. Two losses from two games means they're already looking up at the pack, and the form against Empress Hill — forty points scored but still losing forty-two — suggests they can compete but haven't found the consistency to close out matches.