COMBE KICK THEIR WAY TO COMFORTABLE WIN

Combe ultimately got the comfortable win they deserved out of this game and the way they went about it, with patience and control and an immaculate kicking display, showed how near they have been to having a much better season than they have actually experienced.
With a large digital clock showing 14.56 most of us were still emerging from the clubhouse when Hertford got a try in the first minute. The fly-half had streaked down the left wing and the only one to keep pace with him was the hooker Brett Mcnamee and with a single man between them and the line a ball shipped inside made for an easy try. The writing was on the wall when the conversion was missed.
Combe showed commendable patience spending long periods in Hertford territory and after first 15 minutes and then 28 Ryan Fuller had kicked two penalties. They had come when Combe had camped deep in the Hertford half and exerted enough pressure to secure the rewards.
This pattern persisted for most of the first half with Hertford breaking out on only three or four occasions but when they did they looked dangerous but Combe worked very hard particularly in their 5-metre area and repelled all until a minute before the interval when full-back Kyle Lemon joined the line, hit the gap, and went unhindered to the line from the 22. He missed the conversion but Combe went in four points down when they looked like they would have the lead.
Much of the second-half was not unlike the first except Hertford were generally playing farther up the field and were not under such pressure. Ryan Fuller had closed the gap with his third penalty after six minutes and just to illustrate the point it took nearly twenty minutes for Kyle Lemon to restore that lead.
Combe had not made the most of the conditions, now very much in their favour, but with ten or so minutes to go that changed dramatically, a kick rode the wind and found touch just inside Hertford's 22. Combe were not going to move from that position for the rest of the game.
Having gained possession Combe probed the Hertford defence from one side to the other but couldn't break their resolution until a “chip” a few yards outside the 22 saw the juggernaut that is Ben McKinnell trundle to the line unmolested. (The look on his face rather suggested that had half the Hertford side been between him and the line he would still have made it.)
Ryan Fuller's conversion put Combe into a three point lead for the first time. Better was to follow. Combe were soon back in the area of Hertford's 22 and four minutes after the try Joe Simpson, just inside the right touch, made all the time in the world to stroke a classic dropped goal.
In this last twelve minutes Combe never seemed to be away from Hertford's 22 despite having to return to half way for restarts. So in no time they were back pressing against the Hertford defence.
The game finished with Hertford desperately trying to keep the ball alive and giving away another penalty and Ryan Fuller stepping up to maintain his 100% record. Hertford had missed four kicks but there was much more than that between the sides in the end.

Coombe's Team: Ryan Fuller; Graham Purdy, Nikki Davies, Ben Hough, Kieron Leeper; Joe Simpson, Charlie Edwards; Ben McKinnell, Hamish Barton, Dale Bellinger; Tom Clarke, Jon Wright; George Blomfield, James Lindfield, Jon West. Replacements (none used). Reece Conlon, Matt Brierley, Nick Coles, Dan Toms, James Askew.

Match Reporter: Mike Attewell.