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Telford Raiders ready for second cup challenge

Sophie MaddenWest Midlands
News imageBBC Dan Robinson is a white man, wearing a white hoody, with blue sleeves and good, he has cropped grey hair and is smiling. He's standing on a green all-weather pitch where some of his fellow rugby players can be seen warming-up in the background. BBC
Dan Robinson says the Raiders success is supporting the growth of the sport in the Midlands

A Shropshire amateur rugby league side is preparing to compete in the Betfred Challenge Cup after qualifying for only the second time.

Telford Raiders will host London Chargers on Saturday in the first round of the competition.

This year the Raiders went unbeaten in the third consecutive season they've topped the Midlands Premier Division champions.

Coaches and players say they hope its continued success will help build the profile of the sport in the Midlands. The Challenge Cup is the main rugby league knockout cup tournament.

Last year was the first time the club qualified for the Challenge Cup, drawing Rochdale Mayfield.

They lost 64-16 but scored three tries on a landmark day for the club which is entirely amateur.

Its history stems from the mid-1990s when couple Dave and Janet Berry moved to the area from Hull and initially set up a primary school competition with one team - Randley Raiders - taking off.

That team went on to become Telford Raiders, who entered the Midlands Division, and have competed in it every year since forming as their current incarnation in 2003.

Centre Dan Robinson says the club is hoping to build on its current momentum when they take on the London Chargers, another amateur team, on Saturday at The Old Showground, the home of Newport RUFC.

News imageJoe Furlong stands on a green all-weather pitch and a number of players from the Telford Raiders can be seen in the background behind him. He is wearing a black body warmer, blue and yellow zip-up fleece and a black baseball cap with the Telford Raiders logo, which depics a viking with a long yellow beard and silver sword.
Joe Furlong said qualifying the cup twice shows the club's calibre

"Its been a great year and to get the chance to play in the Challenge Cup is really exciting," he said.

"Its not just about us, I think its about Rugby League outside of the heartlands, traditionally its a very northen sport in England but there's a real base in the Midlands now a core few teams that are getting better each year and what we'd love to see is more teams in that league, more competitive games...and more people playing that sport.

"I've found a real love for it over the last four years, especially with this group and I'd love for other people to find that as well."

Joe Furlong, assistant coach, added: "I think you could argue qualifying once last year could be a one-off or a fluke, but I think doing it twice shows our calibre.

"It sets a really good platform for us to build on."

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