The Combe Camp were not expecting too much out of this game in National League Two (South) against the runaway League leaders, Ealing, at Goddington Dene on Saturday.
What they would have been hoping for would be that the slow and painful progress of recent weeks would not be blown away in a puff of dust. That hope was largely fulfilled though the score-line doesn’t wholly reflect that until one remembers some of the horrific score-lines last season.
Ealing by their own admission were surprised by Combe’s tenacity and inventiveness throughout the game, but their own clinical approach and the winning syndrome saw them comfortably through with something to spare.
The first few minutes saw Combe pressurising the Ealing defence and they did have a penalty but the score-line stayed blank, until, in a ten minute period Ealing centres Joe Price and Ronald McLean –Dents went over wide on either side having looped round to keep moves going. Neil Hallett showed why he is the League’s top points scorer with two splendid kicks and a score-line of 14—nil.
Ealing were to add two more tries and a conversion in the first-half. Flanker Ben Griffiths leaping to ground a cross-field kick and scrum-half Morgan Thompson getting over the line in the corner having circled the pack.
At 26—nil at half-time you would be forgiven for thinking it was all Ealing in that time but it was far from that with Combe having a lot of possession and a good deal of territory but the difference was that Ealing were doing their work in Combe’s 22 while Combe were doing theirs’ in midfield and unable to break through the deadlock of the Ealing defence.
So at half-time the score-line looked a little lop-sided but the real danger was that one of those horrific score-lines was in the offering and weeks of good Combe progress would disappear in the puff of dust. Much of Combe’s future hung in the balance on the second half.
Dare I record that the squad and coaches have solved the problem of Combe’s habitual slow start to the second-half? The opening ten minutes was all Combe, well almost.
They did have a try by Russell Tumath to show for their efforts but given the chance of an easy penalty Neil Hallett took it to snuff out any chance of a Combe revival.
It took thirteen minutes for Ealing to extend the score-line further and another thirteen minutes for them to do it again. The first was from ex-Combe winger Phil Chester and Ronald McLean –Dents added his second four minutes from the end.
Virtually the last action of the match finished with Combe getting a try through, fittingly, back-row Gavin Wallis barrelling through a number of tackles. The pack had been at the centre of much of Combe’s good work while the backs supplied a good deal of inventiveness but as with all good sides the clinical and focussed precision of a smooth Ealing outfit was never under threat.
So, what of a half that could mean so much for Combe, well, they were only three points adrift against a side that has scored two-hundred points more than their nearest rivals and conceded less points than anyone else in the League. The Boys did well!

Team: Tom Hockedy; Chris Lewis (32m. Toby May), Rus Tumath, John Coleman (53m. Niki Davies), Mike Adeniya; Joe Simpson, Mike McDonough: Ben McKinnell, Hamish Barton (46m. Charles Hopkins), Jordan Mitchell (76m. David Brooks); David Watkins, Jon Wright; Ried Bradford (69m. James Catlin), Zane Winslade, Gavin Wallis.

Match Reporter: Mike Attewell.