Championship: Jersey Reds 13-19 Ealing Trailfinders

Ealing fly-half Aaron Penberthy kicked 14 points against the club he left in the summer

Ealing Trailfinders kicked off 2017 with a narrow Championship win over Jersey Reds at St Peter, despite late pressure from the hosts.

Ealing centre Joe Munro powered over for the opening try midway through the first half but the Reds hit back through Simon Kerrod's score.

Aaron Penberthy and Sam Katz traded penalties in the second period but the Trailfinders were never behind.

Ealing climb back into the play-off zone, while Jersey are in eighth spot.

"It was very frustrating," Jersey skipper James Freeman told BBC Radio Jersey.

"Credit to Ealing, I thought they played well, especially their line-out defence in the first half which kept us out of a few shots that we thought we had."

The visitors were the brighter of the two sides in the early stages and deservedly led 10-0 thanks to Penberthy's drop-goal and Joe Munro's try.

Fly-half Penberthy, facing his former club, dictated a lot of the early play but Jersey were just three points behind at half time thanks to Kerrod's try in the left corner and Sam Katz's superb conversion.

In a scrappy second half Penberthy extended the Trailfinders lead to six points on three occasions but Katz was accurate with the boot at the other end to keep his side in touch.

The Reds looked like they might snatch the win at the death, when they won two penalties and a free-kick at a scrum on the five metre line, but the penalty-try never came and Ealing eventually got the penalty themselves and, with it, took the victory.

Jersey: Adair; Watkins, Ma'afu, Stevens, Davies; Katz, Hardy; Thomas, Buckle, Kerrod; Campbell, McKern; Graham, Freeman (capt), Haining.

Replacements: Macfarlane, McCarthy, Tampin, Kolo'ofa'i, Argyle; Fisilau, Dudley.

Ealing: Daniels; Harries, Jones, Munro, Cordy-Redden; Penberthy, Carter; Gibbons, Walker, Thiede; Maddison, Townson; Murphy, Nagle-Taylor, Bright (capt).

Replacements: Cornish, Davis, Rodman, Casson, Preocanin, Walker, Peters.

Attendance: 1,596

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