My Life in rugby: Peter Clegg – Otley Director of Rugby

For me, defeats stick in the memory more than the wins, and few hurt quite as hard as Otley‘s last-gasp loss to Harlequins in 2005 when I was head coach first time around. We’d been building the squad nicely for a few years and finished fifth in National One the season before, not bad for a town with a population of 15,000, and fancied giving Harlequins a really hard time at our place.
We grew the grass to about seven inches to slow down their runners and we were well up for it in front of what was probably the biggest crowd at Cross Green for many a year. With our front-row of Mark Luffman, Kris Fullman and Justin ‘Bull’ Wring getting stuck into them upfront, and the half-back partnership of Dave Scully and Simon Binns controlling things whenever the ball saw light of day, we were in front by four points with seconds to go. Unfortunat- ely, the lads switched off momentarily and they scored under the posts; it was a shattering blow.
We could be proud of the fact that a team with a budget of £250k had competed with one that cost 10 times more. Dean Richards said we should have won but that was of little consolation to me and it took a few months to get over that one!
Building a team is one of the most satisfying aspects of being a coach, and at Otley we had a family unit, literally, in the case of Fullman and Wring. I remember arranging to meet Fullman with a view to signing him and he asked whether he could bring his brother-in-law along. I thought it a bit weird at the time – until I saw this man mountain in front of me! What a signing he turned out to be.
Sadly, that family suffered a divorce when the RFU decided to cut the league and relegate five teams instead of the usual two. We were in no position to escape and the club decided, due to the financial implications, to rip up all playing contracts. For me that didn’t matter one iota as I’ve never taken a single penny from either Otley or Harrogate, but unfortunately for some of the players it was a big deal and for those last few months you could tell some weren’t putting their all in.
The sense of togetherness we enjoyed for many a year at Otley until it all unfolded was evident at Harrogate too, where I was captain for five seasons and then had 11 as coach. I came through to the first team, after joining from York Railway Institute, with a wing called Chalkie Atkins, the hardest-tackler you’d ever seen; he was like a low-flying jet.
My debut was at fly-half – before later converting to blindside flanker – against Coventry at Coundon Road; being on the same pitch that David Duckham graced was a real thrill. Harrogate was not the biggest of clubs but I was fortunate to play alongside England‘s Roger Shackleton and British Lions Peter Squires, Peter Larter and Jeff Young. I learnt a lot from the motivational side from Jeff.
Jeff was a great bloke and a great player but when he returned to the club, after several years back in Wales, it coincided with my departure. Spending £30k to employ him as director of rugby didn’t sit well with me as the money would have been better spent on the players, so I resigned.
I had 25 fantastic years at the club and it was a massive part of my life but you have to stand up for what you believe in. Still, some great memories, none more so than beating a fine Otley team to win the 1991 Yorkshire Cup, when it still meant something. That cup-winning team still meets up for dinner every Christmas.
After leaving Otley I spent three years at the helm of York RUFC before returning to Cross Green. Player-wise, only Ben Steele remained from my first spell but, in terms of the club itself, it felt like I was coming home again.
*As told to Jon Newcombe