National Division One
Macclesfield 7-45 Ealing Trailfinders
Snow got in the way of the original January fixture - and bottom side Macclesfield might have hoped for another fall before this game.
However, leaders Ealing held off the expected avalanche of tries even if they did slalom their way through Macc ranks to touchdown for six times.
They also collected a bonus point that stretched the lead to nine points over nearest promotion rivals Rosslyn Park.
Ben Ward’s team took an early grip when Luke Daniels skated free down the right wing.
Tom Brown and Paul Spivey’s powerful runs through the Macclesfield defence brought a second try when Llewelyn Jones popped a delicate pass to Arthur Ellis, left with the simple task of trotting over.
Ellis then doubled his tally, and the visitors’ dominance was rubber stamped by the coach himself when Ward won the race to his own grubber kick. Minutes later he turned provider when Chris Kinloch caught his cross-kick.
Phil Chesters rounded off the first half by dotting down in the corner and then nearly repeated the trick early on in the second, but was unable to take Ward’s cross-kick cleanly.
Macclesfield found something of a rhythm early in the second period with the game lost, and centre Sam Jones shook off two defenders to race home for a try that Tom Eaton converted. Soon after Fowles broke clear again and Chesters had to be alert to stop him close to the line.
Trailfinders shook off the momentary lapse with a shrug. Ellis broke the line and Alex Walker was hard by his shoulder to scoot home from the 22 and ice the winning cake.
Scorers: Macclesfield, tries (James 49), Conversions (Eaton 49); Ealing Trailfinders: tries (Daniels 4, Ellis 12, 19, Ward 25, Kinloch 31, Chesters 39, Walker 59), Conversions (Daniels 12, 19, 25, 39, 59)
