Combe took the lead after two minutes with a Luke Giles' penalty against Worthing last weekend in their National League Two (S) match. That was not the first time they had been in front this season in their three matches and it only lasted three minutes!

They have scored nearly a dozen tries and earned a couple of bonus points. Last year tries were very difficult to come by and the first bonus point didn't come until about February! So things are looking much better this early in the season but the starts to matches have been a disaster.
At Southend, almost by sleight of hand Combe tackled so well, Southend somehow had a 18—3 lead at half time. At Shelford a 5—3 lead disintegrated to 17—5 at half time and became 24 before Combe scored again, and then 34 before Combe added to their score before both sides scored converted tries in the last two minutes. Against Worthing, Combe just weren't at home in the metaphorical sense and shipped 26 points.
In a fifteen minute spell Matt Mclean added a second penalty, winger Alex Neilson scored a try that Mclean converted before adding another penalty, Neilson added a second and lock Charlie McGowan also scored a try.
All that ten minutes before half time but the score was 3—26 at the interval and Combe needed a quick start to the second half if they were to salvage anything from the game.Combe did not get that quick start, instead Matt Miles, the Worthing hooker, scored their bonus try and Combe were 28 points adrift, as it turned out a significant gap, because Combe were to score nearly that.
The start came five minutes later when Kieran Leeper benefited from the inroads Combe were now making into the Worthing defence. Luke Giles converted.
Again it didn't take long for Worthing to respond, this time through their other lock, Sam Hewick which Mclean converted.
There was still thirty minutes left and Combe were now creating some serious problems for the Worthing defence who held out for a full fifteen minutes before Gideon Roux, only on from half time and largely responsible for Combe's resurgence, broke through for a try that was converted.
A few minutes later and Luke Giles added five points to his total but failed to convert this time.
As in the previous week Combe left it to the last minute before securing the bonus point when Hamish Barton, playing as a back-row this week, went over, this time Luke Giles did convert but Combe had left it so late there was not time to restart the game.
As last year Worthing are again going to be a team in contention but for Westcombe Park we all hope it's not going to be another year when we feed of the scraps until it goes down to the wire as last year!

Match Reporter: Mike Attewell

COMBE'S TEAM: Ryan Fuller; Kieran Leeper, Charles Edwards, Nikki Davies, Alex Foster; Luke Giles, Mike McDonough; Matt Briely, Lewis Williams, Dale Bellinger; Jon Wright, Tom Clark; Hamish Barton, Dean Sole, Gavin Wallis. Replacements: Jordan Mitchell, Harry Fry, Gideon Roux (all at half-time), Max Cantwell (for Dean Sole, for six minutes, blood injury and then 60 minutes) Chris Lewis (67 mins.)