Huddersfield Underbank Rangers
Encyclopedia
Huddersfield Underbank Rangers are a rugby league
team based in Holmfirth
near Huddersfield
, West Yorkshire
. They play in the National Division
of the Rugby League Conference
. The club also competes as Underbank Rangers in division 4 of the Pennine League
. They also have an Underbank Rangers A competing in the Pennine League division 7.
who would go on to be the first name on the Rugby League’s Hall of Fame.
A Holliday Cup and promotion double was achieved in 1981/82 when Neil Fox
was player / coach.
angers struggled in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the establishment of the rival Newsome club took its toll. However, the club achieved a two-year revival at the end of the 1992/93 season, culminating in winning the Holliday Cup and gaining promotion to the Pennine Premier Division.
Season 1999-2000 witnessed the Rangers finish second, their highest ever position, in the Pennine League Premier division. The following season, 2000-2001, again saw Rangers riding high in the Premier Division and top of the table at Christmas. However, the club suffered badly with the foot and mouth crisis, the ground was closed and the nomadic Rangers won only one of their last nine matches. The next couple of seasons witnessed the Rangers struggle and they couldn’t maintain their Pennine Premier League status.
They were founder members of National League Three
in 2003. They went on to finish sixth out of the ten competing teams. Seasons 2004 to 2006 saw the team miss out on the play-offs.
The league was renamed Rugby League Conference National Division and came within the Rugby League Conference
structure in 2007. Rangers improved and finished fifth and reached the play-offs before losing in the second round at Warrington Wizards
. The team again finished fifth in 2008 exiting the competition in the first round of the play-offs after a defeat at Featherstone Lions
.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team based in Holmfirth
Holmfirth
Holmfirth is a small town located on the A6024 Woodhead Road in the Holme Valley, within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Centred upon the confluence of the Holme and Ribble rivers, Holmfirth is south of Huddersfield and from Glossop. It mostly consists of...
near Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. They play in the National Division
Rugby League Conference National Division
The Rugby League Conference National Division is the highest division in the Rugby League Conference. Between 2003 and 2006, it was known as National League Three.-National League Three:...
of the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
. The club also competes as Underbank Rangers in division 4 of the Pennine League
Pennine League
The Pennine Amateur Rugby League, or Pennine League is a rugby league competition for amateur open-age clubs that runs from September to April. The clubs are drawn from West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the east of Lancashire....
. They also have an Underbank Rangers A competing in the Pennine League division 7.
History
The club was founded in 1884. During the early 1900s Underbank unearthed rugby league legend Harold WagstaffHarold Wagstaff
Harold Wagstaff was an English rugby league footballer of the early 20th century. He played as a and was nicknamed the Prince of Centres...
who would go on to be the first name on the Rugby League’s Hall of Fame.
A Holliday Cup and promotion double was achieved in 1981/82 when Neil Fox
Neil Fox (rugby league)
Neil Fox MBE is an English former rugby league footballer and player-coach of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. A goal-kicking , he is one of the most prominent figures in the history of the sport because he holds the all-time points record, scoring 6,220 points during his career...
was player / coach.
angers struggled in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the establishment of the rival Newsome club took its toll. However, the club achieved a two-year revival at the end of the 1992/93 season, culminating in winning the Holliday Cup and gaining promotion to the Pennine Premier Division.
Season 1999-2000 witnessed the Rangers finish second, their highest ever position, in the Pennine League Premier division. The following season, 2000-2001, again saw Rangers riding high in the Premier Division and top of the table at Christmas. However, the club suffered badly with the foot and mouth crisis, the ground was closed and the nomadic Rangers won only one of their last nine matches. The next couple of seasons witnessed the Rangers struggle and they couldn’t maintain their Pennine Premier League status.
They were founder members of National League Three
Rugby League Conference National Division
The Rugby League Conference National Division is the highest division in the Rugby League Conference. Between 2003 and 2006, it was known as National League Three.-National League Three:...
in 2003. They went on to finish sixth out of the ten competing teams. Seasons 2004 to 2006 saw the team miss out on the play-offs.
The league was renamed Rugby League Conference National Division and came within the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
structure in 2007. Rangers improved and finished fifth and reached the play-offs before losing in the second round at Warrington Wizards
Warrington Wizards
Warrington Wizards are a British rugby league team. They play in the National Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:Warrington Woolston Rovers, a National Conference League team were invited to be founder members of the new National League Three, the 4th tier of British rugby league in...
. The team again finished fifth in 2008 exiting the competition in the first round of the play-offs after a defeat at Featherstone Lions
Featherstone Lions
Featherstone Lions are an amateur rugby league club from Featherstone, West Yorkshire who play in the Rugby League Conference National Division and the CMS Yorkshire league Division 3. The under-18 team play in the Gilette National Youth League....
.