Old Otliensians back at Twickenham three years after 'nearly disappearing'
Nearly a century after they were formed and just three years since almost folding, Old Otliensians will play at Twickenham on Sunday.
Two busloads of fans will follow them from their Chaffers Field home to rugby’s sacred cabbage patch for the Papa John’s Counties 3 National Cup final against Old Georgians.
They booked their place in the final by winning 33-22 at Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire last weekend.
“What an occasion that was,” said committee member Ben Ritson. “A few hundred cheering for the home side and just a handful from Otley.”
It will be a proud day for Old Otliensians, a team that despite the name is full of young men educated at Prince Henry’s Grammar School.
“We played at Twickenham back in 2018, we were really doing well as a club back then,” said Ritson. “But Covid put us through the ringer. We lost nearly all our players, and we were quite worried the club would disappear.
“A few of our decent players decided they weren’t retiring and that just dragged everybody out of the woodwork.
“We also have a very strong link with Prince Henry’s Grammar, and 13 out of the 15 starting this weekend will be kids that are Otley born and bred.
“We’ve had back-to-back promotions from Yorkshire Four and are going up to Yorkshire Two next season. It’s not a bad way to celebrate almost a century in existence next year.”
It is also a big day out for the players, staff and fans of Huddersfield and West Leeds.
Huddersfield play Oundle in the Regional 1 Championship Final on Saturday while West Leeds meet Market Rasen and Louth in the Counties 1 North Shield.
Maltby face York Railway Institute in the Counties 3 & Below North Shield final.