Martin Alun Whitcombe (born 14 September 1961 in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English former rugby union footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 2000s.
Martin Whitcombe was one of four children growing up in the family-run business, the Airedale Heifer Inn, a public house in Sandbeds, Keighley, which was run by his rugby-playing father Frank Whitcombe Jr. He attended Crossflatts Primary School, Ryshworth Middle School, and Bingley Grammar School, where he was capped, four times by England Schools 19 Group in the 1980 Five Nations Tournament.
While in the RAF Whitcombe won the first of his fourteen caps as an Aircraftman while still under training at RAF Cosford, against the Royal Navy on 28 February 1981 in the Inter Services Tournament at Twickenham & his second cap a week later against the Army.
In July 1981 Whitcombe visited the United States with the RAF rugby team, staying at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Texas the Royal Air Force team won the Austin Rugby Tournament defeating Houston in the final. Here Whitcombe played in the front five with two outstanding Royal Air Force forwards Peter Larter & John Orwin.
During his seven years of service, Whitcombe was part of the Royal Air Force team which went on to enjoy a golden era in the 1980s winning a hat-trick of Inter Service titles: in 1982 (for only the fourth time since 1945), then in 1985, and 1986. (The 1984 title was a triple tie.)
Whitcombe joined Leicester Tigers in July 1981. Tigers' coach Chalkie White who was a unique, outspoken coach who demanded high levels of fitness, discipline and progressive rugby, selected him for his first game for the club against Northampton Saints away, on 16 October, he made his home début the following week against Swansea on 24 October at Welford Road and scored a try.
Martin represented Leicester Tigers against the Wallabies at Welford Road on 25 November 1981; the Australian team was Captained by Mark Loane. Whitcombe played twice against the Barbarians 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. During Tigers game against Chambérien Olympique Rugby in an era without the front row replacement system Whitcombe played most of the game with a broken fibula.
Whitcombe left Leicester in 1986 to join Bedford, 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, where he captained the club from 1992 to 1993 and was included on the Sale FC Club Honours Board in 1994. He played in the winning Courage league 1 team in 1993–1994. 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 against Tonga at Headingley on 26 November 1997.
In an article for the rugby paper in 2012 former Sale lock Dave Baldwin named Whitcombe as loose head prop in his Sale "dream team".
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 leaving the RAF in 1987, Whitcombe accepted an opportunity to play in South Africa for Durban High School Old Boys, (DHSOB), a club he had represented in 1984.
DHSOB were led by former Natal hooker Don Spiers as chairman the team had some first class players including, the Blakeway brothers, Andrew & Lyle, Peter Edmonds and Greg Hamilton. As a result of Whitcombe's move to South Africa Ian McIntosh the then Natal, (now Sharks), coach picked him to make his debut for the province along with his fellow prop Gerard Harding of Durban Harlequins and Empangeni number 8 Byron Kankowski to play for the provincial side against the touring Pacific Coast Grizzlys at Kings Park Stadium, Durban on 16 July 1988.
The 1988 Currie Cup was the 50th season in the Currie Cup competition since it started in 1889. On 23 July Whitcombe made his Currie Cup debut in Round Nine at home against Transvaal (now the Golden Lions) in the winning Natal team 22–18. In the Transvaal side that day was fellow Yorkshire team mate Peter Winterbottom.
Northern Transvaal qualified for the Currie Cup final and Western Province qualified for the Currie Cup Semi-final. Free State qualified for the promotion/relegation play-off game.
* Legend: Pos = Position, Pl = Played, W = Won, D = Drawn, L = Lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TF = Tries for, TA = Tries against, Pts = Log points
Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw
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. In June 1989 Whitcombe & Winterbottom were due to tour Zimbabwe with Yorkshire. Due to their breach of the Gleneagles Agreement both were declared undesirable alien's Persona non grata by Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF government as a result the tour was cancelled.
Whitcombe played for the Rest v England in the final Trial at Twickenham on 3 January 1987 he was then selected for the England 'B' side to play against France 'B' at Welford Road Leicester, on 3 March 1989.
Northern Division
Together with Sale FC & England 'B' No 8 Andy McFarlane these two players played for the Northern Division for nine years, making their débuts together against the South West Division at Waterloo R.F.C. on 6 December 1986. The North 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's Wallabies 21–9 at Cross GreenOtley. 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 forthcoming 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 RoadLeeds on 10 November 1992. (This was the first Springbok tour after the Apartheid era.)
With the Northern Division he toured Zimbabwe & Namibia in 1992, France in 1993 and South Africa & Namibia in 1995.
Working in Natal
During the 1980s, Whitcombe worked with Zulu civilians to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by local clashes between the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party in South Africa's black townships. On one occasion, Whitcombe witnessed a necklacing at KwaMashu.
Whitcombe worked firstly in the African townships outside Durban, at KwaMashu in the workers hostels in 'A' section and later 'L' section, and later rebuilding school security fences. Also at Ntuzuma & Umlazi and the locations at Imbali fifteen miles from Pietermaritzburg and Osizweni outside Newcastle, Natal.
He is grandson to the former Rugby League scrum-half for Keighley RLFC Thomas Cockcroft and nephew to the former Keighley RLFC wing William "Billy" Cockcroft
Martin Whitcombe is the father rugby union prop for England (Under-20s) and Leicester Tigers James Whitcombe (born (2000-11-20) 20 November 2000 (age23)).
Life after rugby
Whitcombe campaigned for many years for the Royal Air Force to receive official recognition for their many losses on the Keighley town cenotaph. This was finally granted on 10 November 2011 when a stone tablet designed by local artist David Ingham was unveiled by former RAF Bomber Commandflight engineer Matt Holiday DFC with his friends Ian Walkden and Martin Whitcombe.
Whitcombe became involved with rugby again in 2006 as a rugby coach at Skipton RFC winning back to back promotions from Yorkshire 3 in 2006–07 and Yorkshire 2 in 2007–08, at Old Grovians RUFC the Yorkshire 4 league title in 2012–13 and Yorkshire 3 League title in 2014–15, and at Bradford & Bingley RFC the Yorkshire 1 league title in 2015–16
In May 2016 along with co Author Bill Bridge, Whitcombe wrote 'The Indomitable Frank Whitcombe'- How a genial giant from Cardiff became a rugby League legend in Yorkshire & Australia, published by Saint David's Press
In July 2024 with co Author Huw Richards Whitcombe wrote 'The Indomitables'-The story of the 1946 Great Britain Tour to Australia and New Zealand , published by Saint David's Press
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References
Farmer, Stuart & Hands, David "The Tigers Tale". The Official History of Leicester Football Club 1880–1993 ISBN0-9514862-5-X
McIntosh, Ian "Mac The Face of Rugby" Don Nelson Publishers, South Africa ISBN1-86806-190-6
Humphrey, Egaire 1981–82 Australia Rugby Union Tour of Britain And Ireland ISBN9786136693125
Sweet, Reg "Natal 100 Centenary of Natal Rugby Union" ISBN0-620-13568-9
Soul, David with Douglas, Derek "Heart and Sole" An Autobiography ISBN1-85158-493-5
Moore, Brian with Jones, Stephen " The autobiography Brian Moore" ISBN1-85225-234-0
Moore, Brian "Beware of the Dog: Rugby's Hard Man Reveals All" ISBN1-84739-651-8
Mace, John "The History of Royal Air Force Rugby 1919–1999" ISBN0-9538436-0-2
Roy, Neil & Beard, Phil "125 years of the Blues: The History of the Bedford Blues, 1886–2011"
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