Otley Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union club representing Otley in the City of Leeds, district of West Yorkshire. The club runs two senior teams – the first XV, the Saracens (2nd XV), as well as a full range of junior teams. The first XV play in National League 2 North.

History

Otley RUFC was founded in 1865 but broke away from rugby union in 1900 to become a rugby league club. They disbanded in 1906 and reformed as a rugby union club in 1907, the ground being at Wharfeside. In 1909–10 they won the Yorkshire Challenge Cup. Play was suspended during the First World War, but started again in 1919, and on 28 September 1921 they moved to a new and better ground at

Cross Green Cross Green is an area in the east of Otley, England, and the location of a multi-use sports stadium. The stadium is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and is the home ground of Otley R.U.F.C. It is on the eastern edge of the town ...

, Otley. In the 2007–08 season they won the

National Division Two National One (last season known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Leag ...

title securing an immediate return to National Division One having been relegated the previous season, however they were immediately relegated again in the 2008–09 season along with fellow promoted side Manchester and three other teams due to the new professionalised format of National Division One (now the RFU Championship). Two seasons later the club was relegated again, this time to National League 2 North. The all-time leading try scorer is James Twomey, with 74 in 107 appearances between 2009 and 2013. In 1979 the stadium was the site of a famous victory by the North of England against the New Zealand ″All Blacks″. The Wallabies suffered the same fate in October, 1988. Cross Green hosted one group game of the

1991 Rugby World Cup The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France: at the time, the five European countries who participated in the Five Nations Championship. This was ...

, between the United States and Italy which was won by Italy 30–9.

Notable former players

* Alfred "Alf" Bateson (England 1930) * Danny Care * Albert Fert, (winner of 2007 Nobel Prize for Physics) * Arthur Gray (

Fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

for '' England'' while at Otley RUFC in 1947 against Wales, Ireland, and Scotland) *

Frank Malir Frank William Stewart Malir (4 August 1905 – 22 January 1974) was an English international rugby union player. Malir was born in British India. His father, a Major, was attached to the Indian Medical Service. He attended Stanley House School ...

(England 1930) * Leslie Manfield (Wales 1938) * Nigel Melville *

Jimmy Keinhorst Thomas James Keinhorst (born 14 July 1990) is a German international rugby league footballer who plays as a or forward for Keighley Cougars in the RFL Championship, on DR loan from Hull Kingston Rovers in the Betfred Super League. He has p ...

Honours

* Yorkshire Challenge Cup winners (9 times): 1889, 1910, 1911, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1993 * North Division 1 champions: 1989–90 * Courage League - Division 4 North champions: 1990–91 * National League 1 champions (3):

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

, 1999–00, 2007–08

Current standings

References

External links

Official website
{{Rugby union in England English rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1865 Sport in Leeds Otley Rugby union in Yorkshire