PRE-MATCH LUNCH
This season lunches need to be booked in advance (by 23:59 on the Thursday) using a simple on-line reservation & payment system. Due to a maximum capacity this will be on a first-come-first-served basis.
The lunch prior to our next home match against Hull on March 23rd will be served from 12.30pm with BAR1876 opening from 12noon.
For further details: https://www.tynedalerfc.co.uk/a/prematch-lunches-66490.html
To Book:-

Tynedale v Otley
Saturday 9th March 2024 (KO 2pm)
This Saturday we extend the warmest of welcomes to the players, officials and supporters of Otley RFC along with the day’s three match officials.

PREVIOUS TYNE/OTLEY MEETINGS

The two clubs first played each other in a friendly on the 16th February 1980 at Cross Green, with Otley winning 14-13.
Another four friendly club matches between the clubs, pre-dating the introduction of league rugby in England in 1987, resulted in four further victories for Otley.

On the 12 September 1987 the very first league match for Tynedale happened to be against Otley, and took place at Cross Green in North Division One. Otley won 24-0, their sixth successive win against Tynedale.

THEN:
1988-89 - Tynedale 19 Otley 16
In 1988/89 Tynedale were runners up to Kendal. Otley finished sixth.

1989-90 - Otley 13 Tynedale 9
In 1989/90 Otley took the National One title and our league paths diverged.

PILKINGTON CUP - 8th October 1994 Tynedale were still in North Division One. Otley had risen three levels higher, to National League Three, yet Tynedale won 29-28 at Tynedale Park.

NATIONAL DIVISION ONE
Tynedale and Otley next met on 12th September 2009, after Tynedale had won two promotions in 2000 and 2008. The match was drawn.
When Otley missed a penalty kick in front of the posts in the final minute the match ended 23-23.

Amongst the Tynedale players that day were:

Ash Smith, playing at full-back. It was only his second game for Tynedale after joining from Percy Park. He injured his back and retired after the first half. Ash still plays for and coaches Percy Park RFC.
Matthew Fieldhouse, the most versatile of players, started as a flanker and during the game also filled in as a centre and at scrum-half as the Tynedale team’s injuries mounted. He now coaches at Ruislip RFC.
The veteran Peter Southern, now Director of Rugby at Tynedale, was a replacement prop in the second half.
Graeme Dunn, still starring for Tynedale, was a replacement Lock that day.
Jonathan Cousin, another of Tyne’s star players, replaced Matthew Fieldhouse in the back row.

And for Otley:

Ollie Stedman of the Leeds Carnegie Academy, and later Tynedale/Yorkshire Carnegie/Newcastle Falcons/London Welsh/Doncaster Knights/ Yorkshire Carnegie again/Ealing Trailfinders/Bedford Blues and now Birmingham Moseley, played at No.8.

NATIONAL TWO (NORTH)

Otley (45 points) were relegated from National One in 2011 along with Launceston (44points) and Redruth (62 points). Tynedale suffered a similar fate four years later in 2015 – so, we met again in National Two (North).

RECENT OTLEY/ TYNEDALE MATCHES

2017/2018 - Tynedale 69 Otley 10
2027/2018 - Otley 27 Tynedale 38
2018/2019 - Otley 32 Tynedale 17
2018/2019 - Tynedale 25 Otley 22
2019/2020 - Tynedale 34 Otley 34
2019/2020 - Otley 16 Tynedale 13
2022/2023 - Tynedale 22 Otley 25
2022/2023 - Otley 22 Tynedale 24
2023/2024 = Otley 31 Tynedale 26

In 20 league matches Tynedale have won 11, scoring 544 points, whereas Otley have won 7 scoring 442 points. Two drawn matches

OTLEY SCRUM HALVES

Otley RUFC’s junior section has produced two English International scrum-halfs, Nigel Melville (b.1961) who won 13 caps for England and is now Director of Professional Rugby for the RFU, and Danny Care (b.1987), who played in the England team which lost to Scotland a fortnight ago and is the holder of 99 caps. (NB Only five players have more than a century of England caps, Ben Youngs, Jason Leonard, Owen Farrell, Dan Cole and Courtney Lawes).

OTLEY FAMOUS PEOPLE

Two famous personalities who were born in Otley were Thomas Chippendale in 1718, and even more familiar to rugby fans, Mike Tindall, (b.1978), the Rugby World Cup winning centre who is married to Zara (nee Phillips), the King’s niece.

CROSS GREEN

Otley RUFC’s ground hosted the famous North 21-9 victory over the All Blacks in 1979. The North were the only team to beat the New Zealanders on that eleven match tour. Otley also hosted the North v Australia match in 1988 and the Italy v USA tie in the 1991 Rugby World Cup.

THIS SEASON’S EARLIER MATCH – 11th Nov 2023

The reverse fixture between the sides was played on 11th November 2023 with Otley winning 31-25 – both sides scoring four tries.
Otley took the game away from Tynedale scoring three tries in a short period before and after half time to give themselves a comfortable 31-7 lead. Tyne did, however, come back well and scored three late tries of their own but they’d left themslves too much to do.

The Tynedale squad that day was:-
FORWARDS: Rewcastle, White, Caudle, Cousin, Blackburn, Hall, Johnston, Bell
BACKS: Telford, Leslie, Hutton, Miller, Lilley, Beaty, Parker
REPLACEMENTS: Hughes, Haigh, Vassallo, Redshaw, Rodgers

OTLEY THIS SEASON

Otley currently sit two places below Tynedale in the league on 11 fewer points, Their season, similar to many teams in the league, has been one of inconsistency but their impressive 7-try performance last week suggests we are in for another tough encounter.

Otley’s league results to date:-
Otley 27 Hull 32
Leeds Tykes 31 Otley 18
Otley 24 Sheffield Tigers 31
Preston Grasshoppers 26 Otley 41
Otley 10 Billingham 12
Wharfedale 31 Otley 7
Otley 45 Lymm 34
Rotherham 34 Otley 3
Otley 31 Tynedale 26
Fylde 41 Otley 18
Otley 41 Sheffield 45
Hull Ionians 34 Otley 39
Otley 17 Leeds Tykes 47
Sheffield Tigers 24 Otley 16
Billingham 29 Otley 40
Otley 48 Huddersfield 28
Otley 0 Wharfedale 41
Lymm 15 Otley 14
Otley 13 Rotherham 34
Otley 41 Preston Grasshoppers 12