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 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 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 Road Leeds on 10 November 1992. (This was the first Springbok tour after the Apartheid era.) With the Northern Division Whitcombe played against Toulon and US Colomiers in August 1993 at Bort-les-Orgues 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. 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. Whitcombe also worked in the Indian townships at Chatsworth & Phoenix outside Durban. Genealogical information Whitcombe is the son of the former Rugby Union prop for North Eastern Counties, Yorkshire and Bradford RFC, 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 footballer for Cardiff City, and baseball captain of Wales is the great uncle to Martin Whitcombe. He is grandson to the former Rugby League for Keighley RLFC Thomas Cockcroft and nephew to the former Keighley RLFC William "Billy" Cockcroft Martin