A physical Combe steamrollered relegated Oxford Harlequins running in 14 tries in the Spring sunshine. In a feast of running Rugby, a battling Harlequins got 5 of their own and could have had a couple more.

Combe were effectively out of sight by half time scoring six tries. Nick Cook in his last game for the club finishing off a move started with a neat pick up and charge from Raf Dutta. There was a hat-trick for Toby Wallace the second showing his twinkly feet as he jinked round the defence and the third a long-range sprint from halfway. Half backs Ben Fryatt and Mikel Davies also got in on the act, Fryatt befitting from a second fine Dutta break and Wallace turning provider to feed Fryatt for his second.

Harlequins notched a couple of their own Henry Sayer profiting from spilled ball in the Combe 22 and Jac Watkins ensuring that a period of sustained Harlequins pressure got its due reward when he bundled over the line.

The try festival continued in the second half Combe’s Dutta, Mundicha leading the charge to outmuscle a tenacious Harlequins team including an audacious show and go from Mundicha.

Combe crossed the line 8 times with tries from Kyan Braithwaite after a Dutta/Jack Augier link-up, a brace from David Rufai and star player Ben Fryatt completing his hat-trick from a Taine Wagstaff break. Kieran Thompson scored after sprinting down his wing, Charlie Goss-Lambourne finishing off after fine interplay between Mundicha and Cook and Callum Harris breaking the line and charging overall got on the scoresheet as well.

Harlequins joined in the end of term jollity Kini Mali getting a deserved couple for his efforts, Sayer his second with the last play of the season and James McNally also scoring after a powerful burst to break the Combe defence.

A great finish to the season. We wish Harlequins all the best for next season and hope to see them soon. Also farewell to Nick Cook and Mikel Davies who are off to fresh fields and pastures new.

And to end here are some personal thoughts on Nick Cook

If you look at some of the bare statistics it underlines what a key player Nick has been for the club since he started playing in season 21/22 in London & Southeast Premier Division.

Appearances: 112 including being ever present in season 21/22
Tries: 62
Tries per game: 0.55
Star player: 5 times
Yellow cards: 8 including a card free season in 24/25

When you add to this that he has been 1st XV and Club captain since 2021/22 taking over the role halfway through that season his contribution has been immense League Rugby to say the least. Drilling down on his try scoring record it is clear that the move up to National hasn’t dimmed his appetite.
As a spectator it was always thrilling to see one of his storming runs “like a runaway giraffe” to pinch a Bill McLaren comment describing Doddie Weir. Nick often launched himself either from the back of a scrum or more often from broken play, barging through tackles and leaving a string of defenders in a heap on the ground.

More often than not one of these runs resulted in a try for Nick or for one of his team-mates who managed to keep up with him. While Nick was on the pitch there was always the expectation that Combe would get some points one way or the other from the match.

While I was club Chairman I always got on extremely well with Nick and remember his wry apologetic grin in the club-house after a match if Combe had lost and a similar wry smile if we had won.

Good Luck at Blackheath!