A meeting to unify the junior and senior sections of Otley Rugby Club has been postponed.

It should have been held on Sunday but will now take place on Sunday, April 27 at the same time.

Club chairman Donald Holdsworth said: “We are going to have a new membership structure that will mean the senior and junior sections run as one.

“I have talked about this to Wharfedale and on a wider scale, and apparently every club in the land has had this problem of the junior section wanting to run as a separate entity.

“At the moment, a full membership costs £120, with senior citizens at £80 and juniors at £50, but most will be charged £50 in future, but full members will have the option of paying £120 or £50 and a £5 admission charge for each match.

“The news has already had a positive influence on retired players coming back to the club. I know of 20 or 30 who have come back.”

Holdsworth added: “The emphasis is on bringing everyone into the club.

“The two-section situation at the club has caused misunderstanding and a lot of resentment in the past, and we are not alone.”

The committee structure at the club is also due to change, with inclusiveness again being the aim.

There will still be a central committee but the sub-committees will all be expanded.

It is also planned to bring members up to date at the meeting with the latest news on the allotments and the option to sell part of the training pitches, while director of rugby James Tiffany will talk about his objectives for next season.

Otley are likely to be again playing in SSE National League Two North next season – but that is still in doubt after the RFU confirmed the five-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player against Harrogate on December 21.

The Cross Greeners now only have 47 points, which means they still need a maximum of 11 points from three matches to ensure safety.

Sheffield Tigers, in the last relegation place, trail Otley by ten points but have only played 26 matches to Otley’s 27.

However, club secretary Marc Lawrence says: “I think we will be safe if we beat Hull (at home on April 12) and get a bonus point elsewhere.

“As far as the deduction goes, we have accepted it.”

Otley are at third-placed Darlington Mowden Park on Saturday.

* Prince Henry’s Grammar School’s Jack Walker and former pupil Lewis Boyce helped England under-18s to an 18-17 victory over France in Dunkirk last weekend.