Championship Cup: Ealing Trailfinders beat Jersey 35-31 to end Reds' double hopes

Try-scorer Jonah Holmes left Dragons for Ealing at the end of last season

Ealing beat Jersey Reds 35-31 to win the Championship Cup and avenge losing the league title to the islanders.

Jonah Holmes put Ealing ahead early on but Jordan Holgate crossed for Jersey midway through the first half as the London side had the better of the game.

Holmes scored again early in the second half but Antonio Harris responded to keep Jersey in touch.

Ealing's Jack Digby and Max Bodilly went over and Ben Woollett got one back before George Davis completed the win.

Jordan Holgate and Ryan Hutler scored in the final minutes of the game to reduce the deficit as Jersey's hopes of a league and cup double came to an end at Vallis Way.

Jersey came into the game having beaten Ealing last month in the penultimate game of the season to take the lead in the Championship and won the title a week later.

Ealing beat Jersey in their first league meeting on Christmas Eve while each side won the home fixture in their two Championship Cup pool matches.

Former Wales international Holmes went in on the wing from Craig Hampson's long pass as Ealing's forwards tied up Jersey's defence on their own line.

But Jersey responded when James Elliott picked the ball up from a line-out and found Holgate on his shoulder and the Reds centre crashed through.

Ealing laid siege to Jersey's line as the first half came to an end and after repeated infringements Reds' Alun Lawrence was shown a yellow card after 33 minutes.

Holmes was held up over the Jersey line as he took the resulting penalty quickly before Holgate defended well to tie up Simon Uzokwe as the period came to an end.

It was more of the same at the start of the second half and Holmes went over in the right corner after some sustained pressure, but Jersey again replied as Harris went in from close range after Woollett had broken through.

Ealing's Bobby De Wee had a try disallowed a couple of minutes later after being offside as he charged down James Elliott's box kick and three minutes later Ealing had another try disallowed for a knock on as Jersey's defence stood firm.

But it did not take long for Ealing to make the breakthrough - Digby scoring from close range on his final appearance after good work by Uzokwe before former Exeter back Bodilly strided in for the fourth try.

Woollett went over after some good play from the islanders to give them a tiny amount of hope, but Davis forced his way over after sustained pressure on the Jersey line to seal the victory.

Holgate got a consolation try in the final minutes before Hutler flew over after a lovely move in stoppage time for a second late score for Jersey.

"It was a hell of a game with two teams fighting it out right until the bitter end," Jersey Reds director of rugby Harvey Biljon told BBC Radio Jersey.

"I'm really impressed with our players, we've had some real adversity this week, one specialist second row on the field, three hookers that all got on the field and some bangs from a long season.

"But it was a performance that showed real character.

"That's a top of the table clash and we got pretty close to winning a double, but on the whole it's more about the way they've carried themselves and come into this game with backs against the wall and fronted up."

Ealing: Kelleher; Daniels, Bodilly, Bird-Tulloch, Holmes; Lancaster, Hampson; Gibbons, Walker, Thiede, De Wee, O'Connor (capt), Korczyk, Newman, Uzokwe.

Replacements: Terry, W Davis, G Davis, Maddison, Davidson, Burns, Shingler, Digby.

Jersey: Owen; Woollett, Powell, Holgate, Lewis; Bennett, Elliott; Grahamslaw, Clarke, Longwell, Dun, Scott, Argyle, Wynne (capt), Lawrence.

Replacements: Harris, McGrath, Nicol, Chapman, Hadfield, Mitchell, Barnes, Hutler.

Referee: Hamish Smales.