Five second-half tries, including three for the prolific David Howells, helped Ealing Trailfinders to a 46-26 home win over a combative Chinnor side on Saturday.
In a first half dominated by penalties, neither side was able to string together much rugby of any quality.
Chinnor took an early lead through when fly-half Ben Hewitt kicked the first of three penalties. Ealing responded quickly with a try from Joe Price in the left corner.
Second-row Matt Garvey punched a hole through Chinnor's midfield, before Ali James set up position close to the visitors' line. Quick, rucked ball gave Price room to put Ealing 5-3 ahead.
Hewitt's second penalty briefly gave Chinnor the lead again until Ealing created space on the left following a line out for Pete Hodgkinson to dive in for a try.
Ward missed the conversion, but Hewitt was again on target with a third penalty to leave the visitors only 10-9 down at the end of a tortuous first half.
The second 40 minutes was a far better spectacle. Scrum-half Tom Parker rounded off the first attack of the half for Ealing's third try, that Ward converted.
Chinnor hit back with their first try following a quickly penalty by hooker Arthur Ellis who fed scrum-half Toby Prescott to score under the posts.
With the game tightly poised at 17-16, three tries in five minutes proved decisive for Ealing.
Price scampered in for his second of the game after Jay King made the telling break through Chinnor's increasingly fragile midfield defence.
Howells then gave a masterclass in finishing, running in two carbon-copy tries borne of pure pace and footwork, beating three defenders in the fivemetre channel along the touchline. With another Ward conversion, Ealing were 36-16 in front with 20 minutes to play.
Chinnor stuck to their task and came back with two tries. Prescott grabbed his second and with Ealing's Parker in the sin bin centre Alex Wallace crossed wide on the left. The so far immaculate Hewitt missed both conversions.
Ward kicked a penalty before Howells completed his hat trick finishing a training-ground move in the right corner.
Ealing travel to Bristol to face league rivals Dings Crusaders in the second round of the EDF National trophy this weekend. The two side have already faced each other in league competition this season, a game Ealing won 46-9. [25a0] Northolt's youth team notched up their second win of the season, beating Old Vermulians 38-14 at London Colney ground. The young side showed great spirit under new captain Daniel Richards and twice game from behind in a game that was closer than the final score suggests.
Trailing at half time they finally went ahead with six minutes to go when hard working Tanjib Choudry chased a loose ball down and slipped over to score - only minutes after being down injured from a blow to his head.
The try ended Old V's resistance as Northolt ran in four more tries in as many minutes.
Northolt travel to London Irish next on November 30.
