It was he who helped set-up Old Redingensians back in 1924, the project moving at remarkable speed from a letter he wrote to the School Magazine* in April to having almost a full fixture list six months later.

Pountney – who had left four years earlier having enjoyed an outstanding sporting career where he played 1st XV rugby for four years and 1st XI cricket for five – also addressed a Smoking Concert at the Talbot Café, Reading in his bid to kick-start things.

There he urged those present to start an OR rugby club in the town and the guests unanimously agreed to do so**.

Thanks to Pountney’s passion and determination – virtues which remain ingrained at the club today – events then began to move at a pace and a meeting was held at Reading School where officers were elected.

Pountney was voted in as captain and was also named honorary secretary for a time, while the president was Reading School headmaster GH Keeton, a Cambridge Blue and England international.

The club played their first match on October 4 at Newbury Grammar School, resulting in a comfortable 26-8 win for the newcomers, with Pountney among the try-scorers.

Originally comprising 25 members, the club has grown significantly in the past 97 years and now runs five adult men’s teams, a women’s team and has more than 500 juniors.

Chairman Andy Lynch, a former Reading School student who has been involved with Rams for more than 40 years, believes naming the stand after Pountney is a fitting reflection of the club’s ethos.

He said: “It is fair to say without the contribution of Leslie in starting the club, Old Redingensians, then Redingensians and Rams as we are now, may not have existed nearly 100 years later.

“His goal was to provide a club at the heart of the community with passion, drive and ambition, and these founding principles remain very much at the core of Rams.

“We cannot wait for our supporters to enjoy the new HL Pountney stand and believe it will further improve their matchday experience.”

* “As the conditions for starting an OR Rugger team in Reading seem to me now very favourable, I should be obliged if you could insert this appeal to ORs and parents of past and present boys in this term’s magazine.

“The headmaster has already intimated that the School Ground could be used in the Xmas holidays, and on Saturdays during term time when there is no School match, so that a complete fixture list of home and away matches could be arranged.

“The next important question is the team, and so that there should be no misunderstanding, I will deal with this matter rather more fully.

"The main thing is to get the Club firmly established. At first, only one team could be safely run and so a playing membership of 20-25 would be all that would be required, but these must promise definitely to turn out and every Saturday throughout the season, if required, so as to have regular and constant practice together.

“I propose to start a Club on these lines, and request any ORs who are willing to fulfil this condition to send in their names to me at once.

“If applications came in large numbers, a Committee would select the 25 best men, and I would urge those who are not chosen to show a true sporting spirit by standing by the team and giving it their moral support until a 2nd XV can be started.

“Before this can be done a ground would have to be obtained and I therefore appeal to all ORs and parents for their generous support in the form of either an annual subscription or a donation can be held in trust by the Club until such time as we can purchase or rent a ground.”

** The subscription for playing members was to be 10/6d (53p) per annum while non-playing members would pay 5s (25p).

To book tickets, a spot in the new stand and car parking for the Tonbridge Juddians game on Saturday (3pm), click here

For pre-match lunch bookings, email info@ramsrugby.com