North East Worcestershire Ravens, also known as NEW Ravens, are a rugby league club based in [Hopwood], Worcestershire. They play in the Midlands Premier division of the Rugby League Conference and Midlands Rugby League attracting players from all over the West Midlands and Worcestershire and have become the largest Rugby League Club in the region boasting teams ranging from juniors to open age and have the only Masters team in the Midlands It all started when… History of Rugby League in Worcestershire David Baxendale Pickett loved Rugby League, despite playing Union up to County standard. But League gave him the excitement he craved despite not being on the pitch himself. To this end he decided that what new town Redditch needed was a Rugby League team so a small ad in Open Rugby was placed and brought forward a few Northern exiles who felt the same. The Redditch town emblem in a Kingfisher, so David decided to call his new team the Kingfishers however after a competition was held the winner was Redditch Halcyon - the Halcyon being an Australian Kingfisher. The name was the inspiration for the Royal blue kit with the red chest band. The first game was in September 1984 Vs Wolverhampton University. 22 February 1989 marked the end of an era, when David Pickett died. Only 57 and just as his team was starting to come good. Georgie and Gay continued to run the club. 1991/92 season the Aussies returned and fired the lads up again and it turned out to be Halcyons most successful year ever - winning the Midlands Challenge Cup, the Heart of England 9s and was top of the MASWARLA league. At the end of 1993/94 season Georgie became pregnant with the baby due in September 1994. Unfortunately this meant the club could no longer continue and came to an end. In 1996 Super League was born and Andy & Dean Cave started a team in Worcestershire called Worcester Royals. They had a few successful years in the southern conference and were twinned with St Helens and they actually got to walk on the pitch and do some fund raising up there and the lads had a coaching session. They changed the name to Worcester Saints. Saints struggled to secure a regular home ground for training and matches and therefore struggled to recruit players in the Worcester area. 2004 Saints called it