NORTH East Worcestershire Ravens warmed up for the new rugby league season in encouraging form as they hosted the Midlands 9s curtain-raiser for the first time.
Teams from Buxton, Birmingham, Derby, Wolverhampton and Northampton travelled to Hopwood Park for the event.
Ravens kicked-off the tournament against Midlands champions Northampton Demons with a narrow loss, followed by a draw against newly-promoted Buxton Bulls and then another draw in a play-off with Derby City.
Jason Spafford, Ravens’ director of rugby, said the day was a great success for the club thanks to a good performance and four players making their debuts.
“The players are working well together and we are looking forward to the Midlands Rugby League Premier opener on Saturday at Telford, who we always seem to raise our game against,” he said.
The tournament winners were Northampton, who beat Birmingham Bulldogs in the final.
NEW Ravens seniors train on Wednesdays at 7.30pm and juniors on Sundays at 10.30am, both at Hopwood Park. For more details, contact Jason Spafford on 07957 248464, e-mail [email protected] or visit newravensrl.co.uk.
Meanwhile, the success of Kings Norton Ravens O2 Touch has led to a second weekly session dedicated purely to competition.
The first O2 Touch competition session will be on Monday, May 11, kicking-off at 7.30pm at Hopwood Park.
Teams and individuals are invited to come along and join in the informal, fun, non-contact tournament. The idea follows the team’s experience of playing a tournament at Twickenham.
The Wednesday night sessions, which have been running since September, will continue, starting at 7.30pm. For more details, contact Jason on 07957 248464 or visit o2touch.co.uk.
