Gazette Sport
Two leading officials quit struggling Otley
9:07am Thursday 2nd February 2012
Two prominent committee members of Otley Rugby Union Football Club have resigned.
Paul Carter has stood down as club chairman, while Gary Walker has done likewise as rugby chairman.
Otley RUFC have issued a brief statement on their website confirming the resignations.
It said: “The committee accepted, with regret, the resignation of chairman, Paul Carter, and subsequent resignation of chairman of rugby, Gary Walker."
Carter replaced Paul Jaques in the autumn of 2009 but the club were relegated from National League One in 2010-11 and are currently in a relegation berth this season in SSE National League Two North.
Walker became director of rugby in July 2009, stepping down from that role due to business pressures last November while remaining chair- man of rugby.
The club are expected to issue a fuller statement next week.
They had hoped that this season would have brought them bigger crowds in view of the increased number of derby matches, but poor results have hit their coffers.
While the club’s committee wrestle with the impact of the depressed state of the economy, Otley’s players are still fully focussed on avoiding relegation.
However, they missed a golden opportunity on Saturday when they could only draw 22-22 with fellow strugglers Leicester Lions, having led 22-12 after 29 minutes.
The first team have no game this weekend but director of rugby Tom Rock is still confident that they can beat the drop.
The experienced Howard Parr should be in the squad for a week on Saturday, when the Cross Greeners are aiming for back-to-back away wins at Bromsgrove.
Otley won 11-5 at Kendal on January 21 – the first week that the newly-returned Parr was missing – and Rock said: "It will be good to have him in the squad as he has already taught our two second rows so much.”
The fly half added in the immediate aftermath of the Leicester Lions match: “I am very disappointed that we didn’t win, and the players can deal with that in two ways before we train again. They can either have a skinful tonight or lock themselves in a darkened room but it became a typical game between two sides camped near the bottom.”
Rock, might have been dis- appointed by his team’s failure to clinch a battle that was there for the taking but he reckons they will win the war.
He said: “Luffers (forwards coach Mark Luffman) said afterward that he thought was the best attacking display we have given for two or three seasons and I am sure that we have enough quality in our side to stay in this division.
“We just need to learn to take our chances.”