How Combe won this game is a mystery worthy of Jonathan Creek, even to those who witnessed it!
Not only did Basingstoke score five tries (to Combe's three) but this was the team who had buried Combe at home by a margin considerably greater than anything even Dorking and O.E.'s could manage. Perhaps even more of a mystery is how a team that play in this manner can be toying with the danger zone and it speaks volumes for this League and this season that a team that is doing more than toying with it, Combe only beat with the last kick of the very first match. This has probably been the most exciting season of rugby in the twenty-odd years I've been reporting for Combe writes Mike Attewell.
A welcome return to form saw Iain Gordon slot a penalty for Combe in the fifth minute to get us under-way but Basingstoke responded, not with the missed penalty two minutes later, but the first of winger Gavin Dampies two tries, after ten minutes.
A full 20-minutes elapsed during which Combe were frequently under pressure from Basingstoke's
slick three-quarters in particular, but the back division as a whole and to make matters worse Combe's forwards were suffering at most of the set pieces. At this stage Basingstoke looked by far the better team and most of us were fearing something similar to the previous match.
Ironically, given this, but perhaps with shades to come, though it didn't seem like it, Combe were the next to score. The forwards hammered away at Basingstoke's line for an age before at last it was rescued and shipped wide where Trent Nattrass was waiting and with a shimmy or two soon made his way through defenders to touch down by the posts. Iain Gordon's easy conversion gave Combe an unlikely 10—5 lead.
Eight-minutes later and Stokes had taken the gloss of that with two tries in four minutes. Benefiting from a massive overlap first the other winger Tim Richards went over soon followed by full-back Toby Kochanowski through the centre. The second was converted by centre Dave Byett to give Basingstoke a 10—17 lead at the interval.
Whatever the outcome of the match, it seemed the first score after the break would be crucial. It was a shattering blow to the Combe camp when sub. Sam Turner made short work of crossing and Dave Byett showed no nerves in slotting the difficult conversion to extend the lead to 14-points.
It was suddenly evident that Combe's forwards, probably fitter and with the significant leadership of Hamish Barton, were gaining dominance in the set pieces, particularly the scrum.
In short order, because of this, scrum half Ben Faurie had crossed the line and Iain Gordon had added the points and then some more with a penalty to bring Combe to within four points.
It was now clear that Combe were in the ascendency but it was an age, the best part of 20 minutes, before they made further progress with another Iain Gordan penalty.
Having got to within a point of Stokes with the best part of ten minutes left, hopes were high, but that was totally shattered when from nowhere Stokes produced a stunning try with at least six backs spinning the ball back and forth at tremendous speed both of foot and hands before Gavin Dampies went in for his second try, a conversion would probably have put this game beyond Combe's reach.
As it was Combe were now six points adrift with time running out fast. Chris Lewis was the first of the heroes. He had made repeated breaks and was largely responsible for Combe's forwards resurgence as a meaningful force and here they were camped on Stoke's line midway between touch and posts before fittingly Chris Lewis went in low from the back to cross.
Still a point adrift Iain Gordon stepped up for the conversion. He had certainly shown he was back in form but the pressure of this kick must have been immense. If the nerves were jangling, and they must have been, it didn't show as he calmly slotted the conversion for a significant victory.
The seconds that remained took hours to pass but I expect Basingstoke's camp are still wondering how they could possibly lose this one and the Combe camp won't be able to help, it's a mystery to them too!

Combe's Squad: Alex Smith; Michael Adeniya, Trent Nattrass, Ben Hannah, Niki Davies; Iain Gordon, Ben Faurie; Reece Conlon, Tim Kavanagh, James Sheppard; Tom Clark, Jon Wright; Graham Purdy, Hamish Barton, Ryan Hackett. Joshua Penny, Chris Lewis, Dave Watkins.