Henley Hawks gave title-chasing gave Ealing some anxious moments, but still went down to a 35-25 defeat in their final National 2 South home game of the season.

In front of one of their biggest crowds of the campaign, Hawks could not make up an 18-8 half-time deficit as they sought to claim another scalp following their victory over Richmond the previous week.

After Ealing’s Neil Hallett and Hawks’ full back James Comben had swapped early penalties, the visitors took a 10-3 lead with a try from prop Robert Buchanan following a maul, Hallett converting.

Henley struck back within five minutes when scrum-half Jack Shaylor broke down the blindside and linked up with the forwards, leading to an unconverted try from hooker Ant Brennan.

Another Hallett penalty made it 13-8 and just before half-time influential No 8 Lee Starling and Ealing’s most dangerous back, Peter Hodg-kinson, put right wing Owen Bruynseels away for the first of a brace of tries.

The second half started badly for Hawks, as a turn-over gave Hodgkinson the opportunity to send Hallett in for a try, which he also converted.

Although Comben immediately reduced the deficit with a 40-metre penalty, it soon became 32-11 when Bruynseels was put away by Hodgkinson for a converted try.

Henley were causing the Ealing defence enough problems for both scrum half Morgan Thompson and No 8 Anders Nillson to be sent to the sin-bin.

Hawks took advantage of their superior numbers to drive the Ealing scrum back over their line for No 8 Tom Stradwick to score a try, converted by Comben.

But a further penalty by Hallett moved Ealing 35-18 ahead.

Then, after more Henley pressure, former Hawks player Dinos Alexopoulos illegally pulled down a line-out on the five-metre line after a touch-kick by Comben, who converted the penalty try.

Alexopoulos thus became the third Ealing player to be given a yellow card.