History

Based in Holmfirth, official records show that the club was established in 1884 and will celebrate 125 years in existence in 2009. During the early 1900s Underbank unearthed a rare local talent in Rugby League legend Harold Wagstaff (1891-1939). Wagstaff, affectionately known as the Prince of Centres, signed professional for Huddersfield when he was 15 years old for five gold sovereigns, at the age of 18 played in a test match at Fartown where England beat the Australians. "Waggy" went on to captain England in a further 4 test series. Three quarters of a century later when the Rugby League Hall of Fame was established, Harold's name was the first on the Roll of Honour.

Rangers struggled in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the establishment of the rival Newsome club took its toll. However, the club achieved a remarkable 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. The cup and promotion double was previously achieved in 1981/82, when Neil Fox was Player/Coach. Neil later received an MBE for his services to Rugby League and joined Harold Wagstaff in the Rugby League Hall of Fame. During the 1980s and 1990s, Rangers fed the professional game with many players including Paul Dixon the Great Britain International, the current Huddersfield Giants player Eorl Crabtree and the recently retired Darren Turner.

Season 1999-2000 witnessed the Rangers finish in their highest ever position (second) in the Pennine League Premier division. The following season, 2000-2001, again saw Rangers riding high in the Premier Division and proudly sat on top the table at Christmas. However, the club suffered badly with the foot and mouth crisis, the ground was closed and the nomadic Rangers were lucky to complete the season in such trying circumstances winning 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 currently field teams in Division 1 of the Pennine League after back to back promotions in 2014 and 2015. The club also has a thriving junior section and proudly boasts five junior and youth teams in 2016.

Underbank is a proud club with a long history in the game. The club is also ambitious and innovative, and enthusiastically embraced the concept of summer rugby league and the expansion of the sport offered by the new National League 3 structure. 2003 witnessed the club play in the inaugural NL3 competition and finish a very creditable sixth out of the ten competing teams. Seasons 2004 to 2006 saw the team miss out on the play-offs, but they improved greatly in the 2007 Co-operative RLC National competition to finish fifth and reach the play-offs once 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 an exciting extra defeat at Featherstone Lions.

With the arrival of Richard Knight as head Coach in 2009 in the club's 125th year of operation their fortunes improved with four consecutive Grand Final appearances beating Kippax Knights in 2011, but losing to Bramley, Warrington Wizards and Hemel Stags in 2009, 2010 and 2012 respectively. 2013 again witnessed the ambitious on the move as it joined the NCL competition just missing out on Division 3 promotion to Kells and Pilkington Recs, but that disappointment was rectified with a promotion play-off success in 2014, and then followed with repeat success in 2015 from Division 2. 2016 sees Underbank play in the Division One competition the club's highest ever level of playing league.