The Green and Whites’ cup run was put to an end on Saturday when they were beaten 41-10 by Ealing Trailfinders at Vallis Way.
Neil Fowkes’ young side struggled to cope with Ealing’s dominance throughout the match, with a single try the only highlight of a difficult quarter-final for the away side.
Injury troubles created a selection dilemma for Fowkes, who once again gave youth the chance to shine in the Championship Cup.
Nottingham took an early lead in the tie through the boot of Shane O’Leary, whose penalty put the away side 0-3 up. Holding their lead for the next ten minutes, Nottingham eased their way into the flow of the game but ultimately succumbed to the oncoming Trailfinders storm.
An Ealing penalty try signalled a barrage of pressure from the home side. Scoring a further try and a penalty before half time, Neil Fowkes’ team had it all to do in the second half.
But Trailfinders picked up where they left off, scoring two converted tries in twenty minutes to establish a commanding position over Nottingham, who were desperately trying to find their way back into the game.
Trailing 31-3, Nottingham found a glimmer of hope through David Williams, who rounded off an offload from Josh Poullet to score a try. O’Leary converted but it was the last time Nottingham registered points that afternoon.
Ealing once again found themselves over the whitewash with five minutes to play. The blow proved to be a fatal one for Nottingham’s chances and the game ended 41-10.
With Nottingham’s cup run over, the Green and Whites’ attention now turns to the league, with a match against Yorkshire Carnegie under the Friday Night Lights a big opportunity for Fowkes’ men to find their first win of 2019.