- Newcastle Ravens
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Newcastle Ravens Full name Newcastle Ravens Rugby Football Club Founded 2006 Location Newcastle upon Tyne, England Ground(s) Novocastrians Club Chairman Dave Burke Official website http://www.newcastleravens.co.uk Newcastle Ravens Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The team was organised to help encourage gay people to take part in the sport. Dave Burke, who is the current chairman, founded the team in 2006 and it is run by a board of four elected members. The Ravens were admitted as members of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board in 2006.[1]
Contents
History
Union Cup
The Ravens sent players to the 2007 Union Cup tournament in Copenhagen and played as part of the Cardiff Lions team. The combined squad recorded victories over NOP Amsterdam Rugby Club (35-5), Malmö Devilants (30-5 and 35-0) and the Caledonian Thebans RFC (5-25), drawing with the Emerald Warriors 10-10 on the way. The squad missed out in a tense final in Copenhagen to the Emerald Warriors RFC (10-5) after extra time.[2] In May 2009 the club participated in the Union Cup tournament in London, hosted by the Kings Cross Steelers.
Newcastle Falcons Corporate Rugby
The club participated in the 2007 Newcastle Falcons Corporate Rugby Tournament. The Ravens had Falcons and England rugby team player Mathew Tait in their squad for the event, during which they achieved a draw and two losses.
Caledonian Thebans Rugby Clinic
The Ravens attended the Caledonian Thebans RFC[3] rugby clinic in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The 2007 tournament was capped with a mini 7s tournament and 15s game. The Ravens achieved a 3-1 win over the Thebans and a 0-0 draw with the Cardiff Lions. The 2008 and 2009 clinics finished with a 10s tournament, both of which were won by the Ravens.
The Bingham Cup
The Ravens teamed up with the Caledonian Thebans RFC[4] to attend the 2008 Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament in Dublin under the joint team name of Northern Stags. The Stags entered the tournament at the Shield level but were promoted to the Bowl where they finished as Quarter Finalists[5].
The future
The club hosts an annual tournament, the Hadrian Cup[6], during February. The club also has ambitions to start competing in the Northumberland League in the near future.
See also
- LGBT community
References
Categories:- English rugby union teams
- International Gay Rugby Association and Board member clubs
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