Over the years it’s never been easy watching Combe, particularly at Goddington Dene, where perhaps expectations have always been higher but the sparse crowd for this game on Saturday were treated to one of those nerve-jangling, nail-biting and forgetting-to-breathe matches that made Saturday afternoons such a delight and left most of us with hollow legs and mental and physical exhaustion that was the norm a few years back but has been sadly lacking of late.
Dings, of course, played their part and will rarely have to work so hard to earn the two points they so richly deserved but it didn’t look like that for much of the game, but in the end with seven tries apiece and only a conversion attempt that shaved the far post separating the teams the excitement is obvious and largely in the stats.
I felt quietly confident about this game from the start, mainly because I’ve been of the opinion that Dings have not travelled well, (so what do I know!), but more because Combe for sometime, what ever the opposition, have been showing promise in their matches. Unfortunately, fading in the latter stages and that didn’t change in this game with Combe through the game matching score for score but then leaking 19 unanswered points in the latter stages.
Westcombe Park got the scoring, and the excitement, underway with hooker David Brooks boring in behind a ruck and scrum-half Lee Audis adding the points, having missed a penalty, after just 8 minutes; five minutes later Dings had responded with a try by centre Jack Gadd, benefiting from a two or three man overlap; and a minute later back-row Gareth Inches extended Combes lead to seven points with another forwards try after just fifteen minutes. Four minutes later, and before the end of the first quarter, Dings were on terms 12—12 when full-back Orlando Stott added weight to the attack and drifted over, scrum-half Steven Plummer adding the points.
We didn’t know it at the time but the pattern of the match was determined with these exchanges. Fifteen minutes later a close outcome looked even more unlikely with Combe adding three tries and three conversions without reply.
The first, was Vincent Booiman, my Man of the Match, intercepting a pass, side stepping a couple of defenders, and making the line between the posts. Less than five minutes later, same place, same player, same spot between the posts. If there was any difference in the two it was the second was more like a pass than an interception and lacked defenders. Six minutes later the Combe forwards had again established a spot near the line and Tom Hayman, inevitably, took advantage to go over, brushing aside any attempt to stop him. Lee Audis had no trouble in adding the points on all three and quite suddenly Westcombe Park was enjoying a 33—12 lead that they took in to the interval.
It’s rarely as simple as that and this game was no exception. The last ten minutes of the half saw Dings mount a sustained onslaught on the Combe line. I was close to the action and it seemed inevitable that Dings would cross at some stage but Combes defence was quite awesome with not one player giving an inch (there was rarely that much to spare!) so when Combe were able to reach the interval with their lead undiminished their supporters were able to enjoy the break.
If Combe were to enjoy the break, doubts were again raised a couple of minutes after the restart. Dings’ No. 8 Gavin Curry crossed the line remarkably easily considering the play in the last minutes before the break and Steven Plummer added the points.
Fortunately the next score went to Combe when Dave Brooks made the line for his second try and the gap was safeguarded by Lee Audis’ conversion.
Three minutes later and Dings’ stuck again, Olly Stott going down the line for his second that wasn’t converted. Three minutes after that Combe stuck again with Vince Booiman getting his third try, this time in typical centre fashion jinking round defenders, brushing off tackles and his momentum crossing the line. Combe’s gap could have been extended with the conversion but one of those one in a thousand attempts didn’t seem to matter at this stage although 22 minutes still remained.
With the score at 45—24 it seemed unlikely that Dings’ could mount a comeback, didn’t it! That lasted four minutes. Then right wing Sylvan Edwards, benefiting from the more open play Dings had adopted in the second half, went over wide but closed on the posts enough for Steve Plummer to secure the conversion.
Another four minutes and Dings were awarded a penalty try, out of the blue, as far as the spectators were concerned but suddenly Dings were within a score of Westcombe Park with the best part of fifteen minutes left.
There was not much structure about the Combe defence as they tried time and again to relieve the never ending pressure but with all the action in their 22 even the long kicks were run straight back at them. When Dings did inevitably score, with Gavin Curry going over wide on the right, and the conversion shaving the outside of the far post there was just three minutes left and that three minutes seemed like a lifetime to most of us even those who have lived longer than most! In the middle of more frantic play, at last the referee ended the torment when Will Thorpe kicked the ball two fields away. Dings will be disappointed after all their efforts and Combe can be confident that their resurgence is still underway.
Westcombe Park have their penultimate away game at Ealing on Easter Saturday and return to Goddington Dene the following Saturday to face Bridgwater & Albion both 3p.m. kick-offs.
Combe’s Team against Dings. Gavin Clegg; Graham Purdy, Nikki Davies, Vince Booiman, Jonan Boto; Dan Harvey, Lee Audis; Alex Trefell, Dave Brooks, Tim Kavanagh; John Chance, (Capt.) Will Thorpe; Gareth Inches, Doug Abbott, Tom Hayman. Replacements. Dean Sole, Ross Denton, Ralph Cooke, Chris Lewis, Nigel Southcombe.
Match Reporter: Mike Attewell.