Ealing 16 (Tries: Ejikeme, Hoadley. Pens: Ward 2.     

Worthing 9 (Pens: Coulson 3.    

The big game of the day saw Ealing down Worthing in a closely fought match.

Ealing were first on the scoreboard when Ben Ward put over a penalty goal on eight minutes. The visitors were level on 15 minutes when Ben Coulson put over a penalty goal on 15 minutes for 3-3.

The home side got the first try of the match when centre Kene Ejikeme went over for an unconverted try and an 8-3 lead. Before half time Ward and Coulson exchanged penalty goals and the home side went in 11-6 ahead.

12 minutes into the second half and right wing Ed Hoadley got the second home try and the home side were 16-6 ahead.

Coulson did pull three points back on 62 minutes but could not add to that and Ealing took the win.    

Guildford 14 (Tries: Vigour, Bridgland. Cons: Whiting 2.     

Shelford 79 (Tries: Austin 2, Jackowski 2, Cuddon, Birkby, Bullen Brown 2, Mills, Lenk, Brown 2. Cons: Glynn 8. Pen: Glynn.    

Comfortable away win for Shelford over bottom of the table Guildford running in 13 tries with Chris Glynn converting eight of them and putting over a penalty goal.

Haywards Heath P     

Barnes P    

Old Albanians 37 (Tries: Osman, Friel, Gelman, Botterman. Cons: Gregg 4. Pens: Gregg 3.     

Staines 19 (Tries: Turner, Buckley, Carter. Cons: Carter, Knill.    

Staines, was caught wanting in this game from the commencement of play. Kicking into a strong wind the kicked directly out giving O/As a set scrum on the half way line. From this scrummage they took play deep into the Staines 22 and caught the visitors off side at a ruck. The penalty was kicked which gave the home side a 3 point lead in the opening minutes. The rest of this first quarter saw Staines involved in a catalogue of errors, O/As was swift to act on these errors many unforced to score 3 converted try’s on 5^th, 9^th and 14^th minute. Being 24 points down in 14 minutes was a big call for any side to come back from, however things did improve. Andy Turner pounced on a drop ball and scored under the sticks, which was converted by Tim Carter which put the score at half time, 24 – 7.

Within 5 minutes of the second half O/As kicked a penalty. Staines clawed their way back into the game only to be let down with poor ball retention. O/As kicked another penalty on the 60^th minute. Staines had little to loose at this stage and began throwing the ball around. This loose play resulted in another try for O/As as they went 37 – 7 ahead. In the final 10 minutes the visitors scored two try’s by Mat Buckley and Tim Carter one converted by Dave Knill which put the final score at 37 –19. Staines who slipped back into the relegation zone do not play next week due to this being a cup weekend, however they will be back in action on 17 March 2007 in a must win game against Portsmouth.

Portsmouth 8 (Try: Stuart. Pen: Claffey.     

London Scottish 50 (Tries: Yiend, Peel, Lewis, Pettemerides, Kelly 4. Cons: Whelan 5.    

Portsmouth kicked off with the wind behind, and for ten minutes it served them well. They camped in Scots territory, but with three outside breaks all quelled by touchline tackles, all they had to show for their efforts was a Stephen Claffey penalty, the same player having also horribly scuffed a drop goal attempt.

Scottish looked comfortable in defence, and then with 12 minutes gone, grabbed the first opportunity that came their way. Charles Broughton intercepted a pass 5m from his own line and set the play which enabled Matt Vines to take the game into the opposing half for almost the first time. The move swept over to the right and then Stuart Peel collected a long pass infield and cleverly angled a grubber kick to the far left, where Ross Yiend was lurking. The winger collected and trotted round under the posts more or less unopposed.

Whelan kicked and did so again four minutes later when Scottish scored again to end any hopes the home side might have had of causing an upset. It was a simple score for a side in such good form as the leaders currently are: clean lineout ball gave Peel and Bryan Milne time to pick the point of attack and Jon Pettemerides appeared on the shoulder to score by the posts.

Not that the going was easy into the teeth of the wind and with a cloggy pitch clinging to the boots, but with the back row of Alesbrook, Pettemerides and the debutant Scott Breerton outstanding, increasingly Scottish dominated territory and possession and the home side grew frustrated especially during the 20 minutes they spent a man short.

Indeed Christianson’s offence, preventing quick ball after Phil Reid had been held just short, was punished not only by a yellow card but by five points. From the penalty Scottish kicked for touch, and the pack drove Melvin Lewis over the line, Not only are Scottish easily the league’s leading try scorers (25 more than Ealing, 45 more than Worthing) but only Guildford have kicked fewer penalties, Scots preferring to go for the line whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Whelan’s kick looked good but only one touch judge gave it.

Portsmouth in fact did well not to concede again during the half, but turning round into the wind they were only ever going to concede further scores. First came a peach of a try for Kelly, after Lewis had controlled the ball at the back of a driving maul, and then with the line in view slipped it quickly to Whelan, whose reverse pass found Kelly lurking where Milne might have been expected. 

Then Scottish lost concentration and let the home side sweep upfield. Caught by the break and with two players down needing treatment, thus leaving gaps where the Scots needed to get tackles in, Ben Stuart crossed for a try in the corner.

But there was to be no revival and two minutes later Peel got his 14^th of the season to draw level with Broughton. He started the play with a midfield penalty advanced by ten for chat. He kicked to touch, Lewis found Lee Soper and quick ball off the top again gave Peel the time to pick a half gap and barge through two tackles to score. Whelan’s conversion made the result safe.

Now the spring weather took over and the threatened storm arrived bringing hail and then driving rain into the faces of the home side. Scottish continued to press. Kelly and Alex Alesbrook made ground, and Peel joined in to send Kelly over. Whelan’s kick might have had a chance but the ball was blown off the tee as he started his run-up.

He was on target ten minutes later however, with an excellent kick from out wide, when Kelly completed his hat-trick by grounding after a driving maul, and again when another lineout catch and drive was rounded off by Kelly grabbing the score.

Richmond 43 (Tries: Howells 2, Ajuma, Brown, Allhusen, Whitfield, Farmer. Cons: Hart 4.     

Bishops’s Stortford 7 (Try: Harris. Con: Coleman.    

Richmond's impressive run of victories continues. The second half of the season has seen Richmond lose just once, to Barnes, and that wrong can be righted next weekend as they meet their local rivals once again, in the Surrey Cup.

The game typified Richmond's recent form and was over well before the half-time whistle. The forwards provided the platform for victory, dominating the Stortford pack in all areas. The front row was unforgiving at the scrum highlighted by Rupert Allhusen's man of the match display whilst Tristan Wesley was yet again magnificent at the lineout. In contrast, Stortford hooker Robert Faires had an afternoon he'll want to forget, struggling with his throw all afternoon which contributed to the visitor's woes.

When Richmond's forwards overpower the opposition like this it's understandable why they like to hold onto the ball but the Richmond backs showed what they can do when presented with quick opportunities. Matt Hart, filling in at fly-half again, had an inspired afternoon with boot and hand. But it is out wide where Richmond carries real threat through Joe Ajuwa's power and David Howells' lethal pace. You couldn't help but feel that if these two wingers had seen a little more ball, the scoreline could have been even more damaging.

Richmond were on the scoreboard early on. Hart's penalty for touch put Richmond into the Stortford 22. After a couple of phases of play, Francois van Schalkwyk off-load and Stewart Barlow's quick pass combined to put Allhusen over in the corner. Hart pulled the conversion attempt just left of the posts.

Then a wonderful piece of play from Hart. The captain, receiving the ball just inside the Richmond half dummied his kick brilliantly before accelerating through the gap created. With the Stortford defence now stretched to its limit, he threw a perfect long pass to Tom Drewe who combined with Neil Piggot to put Howells in, the flying winger touching down beneath the posts. Hart made no mistake for the extra points.

Five minutes later and it was Jono Farme's turn to get on the score sheet, going over from close-in after good work from Hayden Roche and Owen Gregory. As Hart's kick sailed over from in front of the posts, Richmond moved into a commanding 19 point lead within 15 minutes.

Richmond survived a minor scare when Stortford, finally piecing together some attacking phases, managed to drop the ball on the try-line when a score looked inevitable. Instead it was Howells who added his second and Richmond's fourth try on the half hour after a demonstration of Richmond's forward power, driving Stortford back at the scrum to take one against the head. The winger still had work to do as he took a pass from Hart but simply outpaced his opposite number again to scorch in at the corner. Hart was unlucky, his attempted conversion coming back off the woodwork.

With a minute left on the clock before the break another well worked Richmond move and another Richmond try. This time a rock solid scrum saw a quick pass from Roche to Hart who then missed the decoy runs of Drewe and Piggot to feed Liam Brown. His run took him between two despairing Stortford tackles and under the posts. Hart's successful kick took Richmond to an unassailable 31 point lead.

The second-half proved to be an entirely different game as Richmond seemed to completely switch off after the break. Stortford deserve some credit for raising their game and for much of the second half they kept Richmond penned in their own half.

Their solitary score, midway through the half was the least they deserved, Nick Harris finally breaching the Richmond defence through the centre before Tom Coleman added the conversion.

Yet Richmond managed to rub salt into the wounds by conjuring two tries late on as they finally rose from their sleep. First, a textbook try from the forwards. A lineout inside the Stortford 22 saw Wesley take an awkward throw one handed before setting up James Whitfield. The Hooker always had the ball in his control as the Richmond pack drove over with apparent ease before forcing the ball down