Sat 17 Jan 2026
Aylesford Bulls made it seven wins in a row on Saturday with a convincing victory over Westcombe Park.
It was Bulls first outing of 2026, with last week’s match at a waterlogged Tonbridge Juddians rescheduled to the end of the month.
Any fears of cobwebs were soon blown away by a typically sprightly Tom Hughes.
He immediately pinched the kick off to set up a promising attack before being unleashed down the left wing, scything through Combe’s defence and under the posts. Fin Ashdown-Denney added the extras.
Hughes had his second minutes later thanks to a peach of a cross-field kick from Si Rumsey.
Combe's defence looked out of sorts and any rallying effort in attack was startled by Bulls line speed.
A relatively quiet quarter of an hour saw Bulls keep Combe at bay up front. The home scrum was dominant and Cam Parker was proving a menace at the line out.
Bulls’ third try came courtesy of a spilled Combe ball, Hughes pouncing on it and hurling an audacious offload which bobbled along the mud and into Christian Dolley’s hands. He scooted over in the corner but Ashdown-Denney’s conversion fell short.
Travis Coetzer rounded off the first half, pilfering the ball at the ruck and embarking on a winding run from half way. He crossed under the posts and Ashdown-Denney added the conversion to bring the score to 26-0.
When these sides met back in October, Bulls led 0-32 at the break before capitulating in the second half and losing by six points.
Perhaps in part driven by memories of that afternoon, the second period this time around was an altogether more controlled affair.
Sustained pressure early on somehow failed to bear fruit. Bulls were camped on Combe’s five metre line for some time and more than once shoved their pack back over the try line.
Matt Hill’s effort from the side of one such scrum was chalked off but Bulls soon had their fifth.
Combe kicked to relieve pressure but Charlie Pullen caught a bouncing ball and passed to Tom Hughes.
Hughes, who was doing his best to make up for spilling what would have been his hat-trick score, skipped through several challenges before shipping the ball wide for Sam Tripp to cross in the corner.
Bulls’ sixth came in similar circumstances, Combe again kicking from deep in their own half only for Bulls to counter down the flank. Coetzer was the beneficiary and Ashdown-Denney added a tricky two points from the tee.
Combe had the final say, though, barrelling over for a well-earned first and then adding a second in the final play of the game to bring the full time score to 38-14.
Bulls, fifth in Counties Two with a game in hand, travel to Maidstone on Saturday for a highly-anticipated derby.
It was Bulls first outing of 2026, with last week’s match at a waterlogged Tonbridge Juddians rescheduled to the end of the month.
Any fears of cobwebs were soon blown away by a typically sprightly Tom Hughes.
He immediately pinched the kick off to set up a promising attack before being unleashed down the left wing, scything through Combe’s defence and under the posts. Fin Ashdown-Denney added the extras.
Hughes had his second minutes later thanks to a peach of a cross-field kick from Si Rumsey.
Combe's defence looked out of sorts and any rallying effort in attack was startled by Bulls line speed.
A relatively quiet quarter of an hour saw Bulls keep Combe at bay up front. The home scrum was dominant and Cam Parker was proving a menace at the line out.
Bulls’ third try came courtesy of a spilled Combe ball, Hughes pouncing on it and hurling an audacious offload which bobbled along the mud and into Christian Dolley’s hands. He scooted over in the corner but Ashdown-Denney’s conversion fell short.
Travis Coetzer rounded off the first half, pilfering the ball at the ruck and embarking on a winding run from half way. He crossed under the posts and Ashdown-Denney added the conversion to bring the score to 26-0.
When these sides met back in October, Bulls led 0-32 at the break before capitulating in the second half and losing by six points.
Perhaps in part driven by memories of that afternoon, the second period this time around was an altogether more controlled affair.
Sustained pressure early on somehow failed to bear fruit. Bulls were camped on Combe’s five metre line for some time and more than once shoved their pack back over the try line.
Matt Hill’s effort from the side of one such scrum was chalked off but Bulls soon had their fifth.
Combe kicked to relieve pressure but Charlie Pullen caught a bouncing ball and passed to Tom Hughes.
Hughes, who was doing his best to make up for spilling what would have been his hat-trick score, skipped through several challenges before shipping the ball wide for Sam Tripp to cross in the corner.
Bulls’ sixth came in similar circumstances, Combe again kicking from deep in their own half only for Bulls to counter down the flank. Coetzer was the beneficiary and Ashdown-Denney added a tricky two points from the tee.
Combe had the final say, though, barrelling over for a well-earned first and then adding a second in the final play of the game to bring the full time score to 38-14.
Bulls, fifth in Counties Two with a game in hand, travel to Maidstone on Saturday for a highly-anticipated derby.
