Martin Whitcombe
Encyclopedia
Martin Alun Whitcombe (born 14 September 1961 in Keighley
, Yorkshire
) is a former Rugby Union
Footballer of the 80's and 90's.
He learnt to play rugby at Keighley RUFC
and went on to have a long playing career for Leicester Tigers
, Bedford RFC, Sale FC, and Leeds Tykes
, at prop i.e. 1 or 3. At a representative level he played for Yorkshire
, The Northern Division
, and England
at 19 Group
, Under 23 and England 'B'
.
in Sandbeds, Keighley
, which was run by his rugby playing father Frank Whitcombe Jr
. He attended Bingley Grammar School
, where he was capped
, four times by England
Schools 19 Group in the 1980 Five Nations Tournament.
After leaving school Whitcombe joined the Royal Air Force
as a Physical Training Instructor
. This three part course included PTI training at RAF Cosford
the Basic Parachute Course
at No. 1 Parachute Training School and Adventurous training at Llanrwst
in North Wales. After passing out with the rank of Corporal
, Whitcombe was posted to RAF North Luffenham
in then Leicestershire
(now Rutland
) living in the village of Uppingham
. This enabled Martin to accept an earlier invitation to join Leicester Tigers
.
while training at RAF Cosford
, in the Inter Services Tournement. Playing against the Royal Navy
& the Army
at Twickenham
. The Royal Air Force won the Inter Services title three times in 1982, 1985, and 1986 during his seven years of service.
He represented the Combined Services rugby team twelve times,including three games against the very competitive Joinville Battalion of the French Armed Forces and on 30 November 1985 Wayne Shelford
's New Zealand
Combined Services team at Devonport Services R.F.C.
.
On 29 December 1981 he played against Tony Shaw
's Australian Wallabies at Aldershot Military Stadium
. He also played against Australia again at the same ground this time on 27 October 1984 against Andrew Slack
's Australian Wallabie team. Whitcombe played against Canada
at the US Portsmouth RFC
on 14 October on their 1983 tour on England.
away, on 16 October, he made his home debut against Swansea RFC
on 24 October at Welford Road
and scored a try. Whitcombe represented Leicester Tigers against the Australian Wallabies at Welford Road on 25 November 1981; the Australian team was Captained by Mark Loane
. Whitcombe played twice against the Babarian's
during his Leicester career and toured Zimbabwe
with Tigers in 1982, playing in both games against Zimbabwe
in Harare
and Bulawayo
. In 1984 he played against The Gulf
on the Middle East
tour to Bahrain
& Dubai
and in 1985 to France
.
Whitcombe left Leicester in 1986 to join Bedford RFC, captained by former Tigers player Andy Key, and played against Kenya
in Nairobi
as part of the clubs Centenary Season celebrations. At the start of the 1987 season he joined Sale FC, where he Captained the club for one season in 1992-1993 and played in the winning Courage league 1 team in 1994-1995. In 1996 he joined Phil Davies
at Leeds Tykes for the last three years of his rugby career playing in two promotion winning teams and played his last big game against Tonga
at Headingley
.
in the County Championship
his first game was against East Midlands
in November 1981. He won his first cap for Yorkshire
against Ulster
at Ravenhill
in 1986 and scoring a try on his debut. Later that season he played in the 22-11 victory over Middlesex
in the County Championship final at Twickenham on 11 April 1987. He went on to make twenty one appearances for Yorkshire in the County Championship.
Whitcombe played for England U23 against England Students at Walsall RUFC on 10 April 1985 after this game he was picked to represent England 'B' for their game against Italy 'B'
at Twickenham on 17 April 1985
After leeving the RAF in 1987, Whitcombe accepted an opportunity to play in South Africa
for Durban High School Old Boys, (DHSOB). As a result Ian McIntosh
the then Natal
, (now Natal Sharks
), Coach picked him to play for the provincial side against the touring Pacific Coast Grizzly
's at Kings Park Stadium
, Durban
on 16 July 1988. The following week on 23 July he made his Currie Cup
debut against Transvaal
(now the Golden Lions
) in the winning Natal team at the same ground. In the Transvaal side that day was fellow Yorkshire team mate Peter Winterbottom
. Along with England and Harlequin
's No 8 Chris Butcher (Natal) these three players represent only a handful of English players to play in the Currie cup in the apartheid era in South Africa
Whitcombe played for the Rest v England in the Final Trial at Twickenham on 3 January 1987 and was later selected for the England 'B'
side to play against France 'B'
at Welford Road Leicester, on 3 March 1989
Together with Sale FC & England 'B' No 8 Andy McFarlane these two players played for the Northern Division for nine years,making their debut's together against the South West Division at Waterloo RFC on 6 December 1986. The North successfully won the Divisional Title in 1986, 1987 and 1992 they were runners up to London Division
in 1989 & 1990.
Later that year on 19 October 1988 Whitcombe played for Northern Division on the winning side against Nick Farr-Jones
Australian Wallabies 21 - 9 at Cross Green
Otley
. Then on 19 December 1989 against the USSR
at Aspatria RUFC
. Whitcombe played against Namibia
in Windhoek
in August 1992 as part of the preparations for the forth coming Springbok tour of England.He played against Wales'A'
at Pontypool RFC
on 14 October 1992, prior to playing against Naas Botha's South African Springboks
at Elland Road
Leeds
on 10 November 1992. (This was the first Springbok tour after the Apartheid era.)
With The Northern Division Whitcombe played against Toulon
in August 1993 at Clermont-Ferrand
and eighteen months later against Northern Transvaal
now (The Blue Bulls
) at Loftus Versfeld
and against Namibia again at The National Rugby Stadium in Windhoek, in summer 1995.
With the Northern Division he toured Zimbabwe & Namibia
in 1992, France in 1993 and South Africa & Namibia In 1995.
, Bradford RFC, and Keighley RUFC
, Frank Whitcombe Jr
, and was the grandson of the former Bradford Northern
and Great Britain
Rugby League
international Frank Whitcombe
.He is nephew to the former Bradford RFC back row forward Brian Whitcombe
George Whitcombe
the association (Soccer) Footballer for Cardiff City
, and Baseball
captain for Wales
, and Grange Albion is the great uncle to Martin Whitcombe.
He is grandson to the former Rugby League scrum half for Keighley
RLFC Thomas Cockroft and nephew to the former Keighley RLFC winger William Cockroft.
He campaigned for many years for the Royal Air Force to receive official recognition for their many loses on the Keighley town Cenotaph
which was unveiled on the 10th for November 2011.
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
) is a former Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Footballer of the 80's and 90's.
He learnt to play rugby at Keighley RUFC
Keighley RUFC
Keighley RUFC is a Rugby Union club based in Keighley, West Yorkshire. The club currently play in Yorkshire 1.- History :Keighley R.U.F.C. was formed by a group of old boys of Keighley Grammar School in 1920. It’s name was first changed to Keighlians R.U.F.C...
and went on to have a long playing career for Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
, Bedford RFC, Sale FC, and Leeds Tykes
Leeds Tykes
Leeds Carnegie is an English rugby union club, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, currently playing in the RFU Championship. In recent years, they have bounced between the Premiership and the second-level National Division One, now known as the RFU Championship; they were either promoted or relegated...
, at prop i.e. 1 or 3. At a representative level he played for Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, The Northern Division
Northern Division (Rugby Union)
The Rugby Football Union Northern Division is the rugby union governing body for the North of England. It organises the following leagues: It is part of the Rugby Football Union*National League Three North*North 2 East*North 2 West*North Lancs/Cumbria...
, and England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
at 19 Group
England national under-20 rugby union team
The England under 20 rugby team are the newest representative rugby union team from England. They replace the two former age grade teams Under 19's and Under 21's. They are coached by the RFU's National Academy Coach, Mark Mapletoft. Their first tournament was the 2008 IRB Junior World...
, Under 23 and England 'B'
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
.
Early life
Martin Whitcombe was one of four children growing up in the family run business, The Airedale Heifer Inn a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Sandbeds, Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, which was run by his rugby playing father Frank Whitcombe Jr
Frank Whitcombe Jr
Frank William Whitcombe was a Rugby Union footballer of the 1950s, '60s and '70s who played Rugby Union for Bradford RFC, Keighley RUFC and Army Rugby Union, playing at Prop, i.e...
. He attended Bingley Grammar School
Bingley Grammar School
Bingley Grammar School is a school for both boys and girls from the ages of 11–18 and is located on the outskirts of Bingley, West Yorkshire, England.-History:...
, where he was capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, four times by England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Schools 19 Group in the 1980 Five Nations Tournament.
After leaving school Whitcombe joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a Physical Training Instructor
Physical Training Instructor
Physical Training Instructor is a term used primarily in the British Armed Forces and British police, as well as some other Commonwealth countries, for an instructor in physical fitness.-United Kingdom:...
. This three part course included PTI training at RAF Cosford
RAF Cosford
RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton.-History:...
the Basic Parachute Course
Basic Parachute Course
The Basic Parachute Course for members of the British Armed Forces is conducted by the Static Line Training Squadron of No.1 Parachute Training School RAF, based at RAF Brize Norton....
at No. 1 Parachute Training School and Adventurous training at Llanrwst
Llanrwst
Llanrwst is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It takes its name from the 5th century to 6th century Saint Grwst, and the original parish church in Cae Llan was replaced by the 12th-century church....
in North Wales. After passing out with the rank of Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
, Whitcombe was posted to RAF North Luffenham
RAF North Luffenham
RAF North Luffenham was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, 1940 - 1998. It is near to the villages of Edith Weston and North Luffenham....
in then Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
(now Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
) living in the village of Uppingham
Uppingham
Disambiguation: "Uppingham" is the colloquial name for Uppingham SchoolUppingham is a market town in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located on the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, about 6 miles south of the county town, Oakham.- History :A little over a mile to the...
. This enabled Martin to accept an earlier invitation to join Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
.
Royal Air Force & Combined Services Rugby
While in the RAF Whitcombe won the first of his fourteen caps in 1981 as an ACAircraftman
Aircraftman , or Aircraftwoman , is the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of several other Commonwealth countries....
while training at RAF Cosford
RAF Cosford
RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton.-History:...
, in the Inter Services Tournement. Playing against the Royal Navy
Royal Navy Rugby Union
The Royal Navy Rugby Union was formed in 1906 to administer the playing of rugby union in the Royal Navy. It fields a representative side that competes in the Army Navy Match, although a side representing the Royal Navy predates the formation of the union by twenty-eight years...
& the Army
Army Rugby Union
The Army Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in the British Army and a constituent body of the Rugby Football Union . The ARU was formed on 31 December 1906 and marked the fulfilment of Lieutenant J.E.C...
at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. The Royal Air Force won the Inter Services title three times in 1982, 1985, and 1986 during his seven years of service.
He represented the Combined Services rugby team twelve times,including three games against the very competitive Joinville Battalion of the French Armed Forces and on 30 November 1985 Wayne Shelford
Wayne Shelford
Wayne Thomas "Buck" Shelford is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer and coach who represented and captained New Zealand in the late 1980s...
's New Zealand
New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force consists of three services: the Royal New Zealand Navy; the New Zealand Army; and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the NZDF is His Excellency Rt. Hon...
Combined Services team at Devonport Services R.F.C.
Devonport Services R.F.C.
Devonport Services Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Plymouth.The team, originally called United Services Devonport, was limited to military officers and its first recorded match was a 2-2 tie against Plymouth in 1904...
.
On 29 December 1981 he played against Tony Shaw
Tony Shaw (rugby)
Anthony Alexander Shaw was born 23 March, 1953 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Shaw was a rugby flanker who played 36 tests for the wallabies between 1973 and 1982, including some matches as a lock or number eight. He captained the Aussies for 15 of his international matches. He is Australian...
's Australian Wallabies at Aldershot Military Stadium
Aldershot Military Stadium
Aldershot Military Stadium is a sports complex in Aldershot, England comprising a combined football and athletics stadium and a smaller adjoined rugby stadium...
. He also played against Australia again at the same ground this time on 27 October 1984 against Andrew Slack
Andrew Slack
Andrew Gerard Slack is an Australian former state and national representative rugby union player who captained the Wallabies in 19 Test matches in between 1984 and 1987...
's Australian Wallabie team. Whitcombe played against Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
at the US Portsmouth RFC
United Services Portsmouth Rugby Football Club
The United Services Portsmouth RFC is a long established rugby union club that although no longer in the top flight of English rugby has a strong history boasting a number of former international players as well as formerly being a regular feature on the fixture list of touring international teams...
on 14 October on their 1983 tour on England.
Club Rugby career
Whitcombe joined Leicester Tigers in July 1981 playing his first game for the club against Northampton SaintsNorthampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
away, on 16 October, he made his home debut against Swansea RFC
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
on 24 October at Welford Road
Welford Road Stadium
Welford Road is a rugby union stadium in Leicester, England and is the home ground for Leicester Tigers. It is located between Aylestone Road and Welford Road on the edge of the city centre...
and scored a try. Whitcombe represented Leicester Tigers against the Australian Wallabies at Welford Road on 25 November 1981; the Australian team was Captained by Mark Loane
Mark Loane
Mark Edward Loane AM is an Australian former rugby union football player, who played 89 games for Queensland and 28 Tests for the Wallabies. Described by Bret Harris in his book, The Marauding Maroons, as "the closest thing to a folk hero Queensland has seen", Loane was noted for devastating...
. Whitcombe played twice against the Babarian's
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
during his Leicester career and toured Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
with Tigers in 1982, playing in both games against Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe national rugby union team
The Zimbabwe national rugby union team is the rugby union team representing Zimbabwe. They are considered to be a third tier rugby union nation...
in Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
and Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
. In 1984 he played against The Gulf
Arabian Gulf rugby union team
The Arabian Gulf rugby union team was a combined team of players from Arab states of Persian Gulf — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that represented the Arabian Peninsula area in international rugby union competitions...
on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
tour to Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
& Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and in 1985 to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Whitcombe left Leicester in 1986 to join Bedford RFC, captained by former Tigers player Andy Key, and played against Kenya
Kenya national rugby union team
The Kenya national rugby union team is the Kenyan national team in Rugby. it is controlled by the Kenya Rugby Football Union.The team participates Confederation of African Rugby tournaments, but has never qualified for the Rugby World Cup....
in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
as part of the clubs Centenary Season celebrations. At the start of the 1987 season he joined Sale FC, where he Captained the club for one season in 1992-1993 and played in the winning Courage league 1 team in 1994-1995. In 1996 he joined Phil Davies
Phil Davies
Phil Davies is a Welsh former rugby union footballer of the 1980s and 90s.-Rugby career:Davies played his club rugby for Llanelli and enjoyed a distinguished 46 cap career for Wales between 1985 and 1995...
at Leeds Tykes for the last three years of his rugby career playing in two promotion winning teams and played his last big game against Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
at Headingley
Headingley Stadium
Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
.
Representative honours
Whitcombe was capped by LeicestershireLeicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
in the County Championship
County Championship (rugby union)
The County Championship is an annual rugby union competition in England between teams representing English counties. After restructuring in 2007 the top tier of the Championship has been known as the Bill Beaumont Cup, after the trophy awarded to the competition winners was named in honour of Bill...
his first game was against East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
in November 1981. He won his first cap for Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
against Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
at Ravenhill
Ravenhill Stadium
Ravenhill Stadium is located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is used by Ulster Rugby. It has a normal capacity of 12,300 and is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.-History:The grounds were opened in the 1923/24 season...
in 1986 and scoring a try on his debut. Later that season he played in the 22-11 victory over Middlesex
Middlesex Rugby Football Union
Middlesex Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Middlesex, England; Middlesex is a historic county of England that has since been divided up and shared between Greater London, Surrey and Hertfordshire though the appellation is still in use when referring to sport, businesses...
in the County Championship final at Twickenham on 11 April 1987. He went on to make twenty one appearances for Yorkshire in the County Championship.
Whitcombe played for England U23 against England Students at Walsall RUFC on 10 April 1985 after this game he was picked to represent England 'B' for their game against Italy 'B'
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
at Twickenham on 17 April 1985
After leeving the RAF in 1987, Whitcombe accepted an opportunity to play in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for Durban High School Old Boys, (DHSOB). As a result Ian McIntosh
Ian McIntosh
Ian McIntosh is a Zimbabwean-South African rugby union coach. He served as head coach for the Springboks during the early 1990s.McIntosh grew up near Bulawayo....
the then Natal
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
, (now Natal Sharks
Natal Sharks
The Natal Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participate in the annual Currie Cup and Super Rugby tournaments. The Sharks home stadium is Kings Park. They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current representative team of the Natal rugby...
), Coach picked him to play for the provincial side against the touring Pacific Coast Grizzly
Northern California Rugby Football Union
The Northern California Rugby Football Union is the Local Area Union for rugby union teams in Northern California, as well as northern Nevada. The NCRFU is part of the Pacific Coast Rugby Football Union , which is one of the seven Territorial Area Unions that comprise USA Rugby.The NCRFU is...
's at Kings Park Stadium
Kings Park Stadium
Kings Park , is a stadium in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban, South Africa, which was originally built in 1891 and extensively renovated in the 1990s...
, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
on 16 July 1988. The following week on 23 July he made his Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
debut against Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
(now the Golden Lions
Golden Lions
The Golden Lions is a provincial rugby team based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The team was originally known as Transvaal, before changes to the political landscape in South Africa forced a name change to the Gauteng Lions, before again being changed to the Golden Lions. For sponsorship reason...
) in the winning Natal team at the same ground. In the Transvaal side that day was fellow Yorkshire team mate Peter Winterbottom
Peter Winterbottom
Peter James Winterbottom , is a former England rugby union footballer who played as an openside flanker. He was England's most-capped openside until being overtaken by Neil Back in 2003...
. Along with England and Harlequin
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
's No 8 Chris Butcher (Natal) these three players represent only a handful of English players to play in the Currie cup in the apartheid era in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Whitcombe played for the Rest v England in the Final Trial at Twickenham on 3 January 1987 and was later selected for the England 'B'
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
side to play against France 'B'
France A national rugby union team
The France A national rugby union team, known previously as France XV national rugby union team and France B national rugby union team, are the second national rugby union team behind the French national side.-History:...
at Welford Road Leicester, on 3 March 1989
Together with Sale FC & England 'B' No 8 Andy McFarlane these two players played for the Northern Division for nine years,making their debut's together against the South West Division at Waterloo RFC on 6 December 1986. The North successfully won the Divisional Title in 1986, 1987 and 1992 they were runners up to London Division
English Rugby Union London and SE Division
The London and South East Division Rugby Football Union is a rugby union governing body for London and South East England. It organises the following leagues:*London 1*London 2 North*London 2 South*London 3 North East*London 3 North West...
in 1989 & 1990.
Later that year on 19 October 1988 Whitcombe played for Northern Division on the winning side against Nick Farr-Jones
Nick Farr-Jones
Nicholas Campbell Farr-Jones is a former Australian rugby union footballer. His position was scrum-half. He attended Newington College and St Andrew's College within the University of Sydney...
Australian Wallabies 21 - 9 at Cross Green
Cross Green
Cross Green is a multi-use stadium in Otley, England. It is currently used mostly for rugby matches and is the home ground of Otley R.U.F.C.. The stadium holds 5,000 people....
Otley
Otley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
. Then on 19 December 1989 against the USSR
Soviet Union national rugby union team
The USSR national rugby union team was a sporting side that represented the Soviet Union in rugby union until the early 1990s.-History:Although such tournaments as the Soviet Cup and the Soviet Championship existed, rugby never became a major sport in the USSR...
at Aspatria RUFC
Aspatria RUFC
Aspatria Rugby Union Football Club is based in Aspatria, Cumbria in north west England, not far from the Scottish Border. They are nicknamed the "black reds", and have a red cockerel as their logo....
. Whitcombe played against Namibia
Namibia national rugby union team
The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999...
in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
in August 1992 as part of the preparations for the forth coming Springbok tour of England.He played against Wales'A'
Wales A national rugby union team
The Wales A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Welsh national side. They have not played a game since April 2002.On the 20th February 2003, the Welsh Rugby Union were given permission to withdraw from the "A" team Six Nations Championship, citing costs as the primary reason...
at Pontypool RFC
Pontypool RFC
Pontypool Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in the town of Pontypool. Pontypool RFC has a long history within Welsh rugby and is one of the most notable clubs, being present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881, but disbanding before the turn of the 19th century...
on 14 October 1992, prior to playing against Naas Botha's South African Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
on 10 November 1992. (This was the first Springbok tour after the Apartheid era.)
With The Northern Division Whitcombe played against Toulon
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
in August 1993 at Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
and eighteen months later against Northern Transvaal
Blue Bulls
The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
now (The Blue Bulls
Blue Bulls
The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
) at Loftus Versfeld
Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby and association football stadium situated in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,762 for rugby union and hosted the 2009 Currie Cup final...
and against Namibia again at The National Rugby Stadium in Windhoek, in summer 1995.
With the Northern Division he toured Zimbabwe & Namibia
Rugby union in Namibia
Rugby union is a popular team sport played in Namibia, and its predecessor province of South West Africa. Because Namibia was formerly ruled by South Africa, rugby in Namibia was frequently influenced by events in that country, and its domestic competition.-Governing body:The Namibia Rugby Union...
in 1992, France in 1993 and South Africa & Namibia In 1995.
Genealogical information
Whitcombe is the son of the former Rugby Union prop for North Eastern Counties, YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, Bradford RFC, and Keighley RUFC
Keighley RUFC
Keighley RUFC is a Rugby Union club based in Keighley, West Yorkshire. The club currently play in Yorkshire 1.- History :Keighley R.U.F.C. was formed by a group of old boys of Keighley Grammar School in 1920. It’s name was first changed to Keighlians R.U.F.C...
, Frank Whitcombe Jr
Frank Whitcombe Jr
Frank William Whitcombe was a Rugby Union footballer of the 1950s, '60s and '70s who played Rugby Union for Bradford RFC, Keighley RUFC and Army Rugby Union, playing at Prop, i.e...
, and was the grandson of the former Bradford Northern
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
and Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
international Frank Whitcombe
Frank Whitcombe
Frank William Whitcombe was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s and '40s who played rugby union for Cardiff RFC, London Welsh RFC, and Army Rugby Union, playing at Prop, i.e...
.He is nephew to the former Bradford RFC back row forward Brian Whitcombe
George Whitcombe
George Whitcombe
George Charles Whitcombe was a Welsh footballer. He also captained Wales at baseball, winning a total of five caps....
the association (Soccer) Footballer for Cardiff City
Cardiff city
Cardiff City may refer to:* Cardiff city centre* Cardiff City Council* Cardiff City F.C.* Cardiff City L.F.C.* Cardiff City Stadium...
, and Baseball
British baseball
British baseball, sometimes called Welsh baseball, or in the areas where it is popular simply baseball, is a bat-and-ball game played primarily in Wales and England. It is closely related to the game of rounders, and indeed emerged as a distinct sport when governing bodies in Wales and England...
captain for Wales
Welsh Baseball Union
The Welsh Baseball Union is the national governing body of British baseball in Wales.It is a member of the International Baseball Board. The WBU organises the men's and youth league and cup competitions, as well as selecting and managing the Wales international teams at adult and youth level.The...
, and Grange Albion is the great uncle to Martin Whitcombe.
He is grandson to the former Rugby League scrum half for Keighley
Keighley Cougars
Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington...
RLFC Thomas Cockroft and nephew to the former Keighley RLFC winger William Cockroft.
Life after rugby
Whitcombe joined Bradford & Bingley RFC in October 2010, where he is Director of Rugby.He campaigned for many years for the Royal Air Force to receive official recognition for their many loses on the Keighley town Cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
which was unveiled on the 10th for November 2011.
See also
- 1981–82 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland
- 1984 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland1984 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and IrelandThe 1984 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland was a series of eighteen matches played by the Australia national rugby union team in Britain and Ireland between 17 October and 15 December 1984...
- 1988 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland
- 1992 South Africa rugby union tour of England and France
External links
- http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/8330683.Keighley_pay_tribute_to_stalwart_Whitcombe/?ref=rss
- http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/1988/07/15/16/23.html
- http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/1993/05/26/10/1.html
- http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/1988/08/06/14/7.html
- http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/1988/07/21/19/19.html
- http://sport.iafrica.com/rugby/news/760100.html
- http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/sporting_bygones_emerging_from_the_ranks_as_yorkshire_county_rugby_enjoys_fabulous_golden_era_1_2580922
- http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/bill_bridge_interesting_few_days_for_the_beautiful_game_was_never_going_to_last_forever_1_2309400
- http://www.schoolsrugby.co.uk/playerList_county.asp?Id=1&CID=12&TeamLevel=19Group
- http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bradfordandbingleyrfc/news/martin-whitcombe-takes-the-reins-at-bradford-and-bingley-189421.html
- http://223halton.hosting.idnet.net/famous_raf.htm
- http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafrugbyunion/history/his19801990.cfm?viewmedia=1
- http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/keighleynews/9230315.Keighley_memorial_to_RAF_heroes__will_right_wrong_of_decades_/