Edinburgh Monarchs v Berwick Bandits

PREVIEW Sunday 28th April 2013, 12:00pm

by Gordon Fraser

  Edinburgh Monarchs

If you've managed to get your breath back from some of the incredible skills shown by the Elite League Brits last week, it's a return to team action this Friday (7.30) when the Berwick Bandits come looking for revenge in the return League Cup match.

The Bandits have won twice and lost twice at home so far but the scores in virtually every one of their six matches have been really close including a three-point loss at Glasgow and a single point defeat at Redcar. So they can't be taken for granted on the road.

Monarchs' No.1, Craig Cook just seems to get better and better and is unbeaten by a Premier League opponent so far this year. He will have no star opposite number this week because the long-term Sheffield rider and former PLRC winner, Ricky Ashworth is still unfit to ride after his fall at Armadale last Friday. So it's rider replacement, meaning Ricky's races can be covered by any of the other Bandits.

Monarchs' captain and No.2, Derek Sneddon enjoyed a good night last Friday against some of the best British Premier League riders. He lines up opposite the first of two Australian Bandits, Kozza Smith (25) who was that country's long-track champion in 2012. His career has been seriously held back by injuries since he earned a League Winners medal with King's Lynn in 2009.

In common with the rest of the Monarchs, Theo Pijper had to sit out last Friday's meeting, so he will be raring to go against Robin Aspegren (24) from Vetlanda in Sweden. This all-action crowd-pleaser has also suffered his fair share of injuries since winning a KO Cup medal with the now-defunct Newport Wasps.

It's a remarkable match-up at No.4 between an Australian newcomer, Max Fricke (17) for Monarchs and a rider who was an Australian newcomer to Armadale 10 years ago, Matthew Wethers (27), now a Bandit. It just shows what a big challenge the Premier League is to young Max who will be hoping for as long and trophy-filled a career as Edinburgh favourite, Matty.

Monarchs' new crowd-pleaser, the ultra-determined Claus Vissing lines up at No.5 against an equally committed rider David Bellego (19) from France (nobody seems to have tied his birthplace down any more precisely yet). David finished 2011 in Glasgow's league-winning side but never became a Tigers' asset. He's very much a Berwick asset now!

Edinburgh's unlikely reserve duo, Marcel Helfer and Joszef Tabaka from Germany and Hungary respectively are paired against a former Vikings Touring Team duo, Alex Edberg (22) from Sweden and Nicki Barrett (23) from Denmark. These two both ride in three different countries which makes them more experienced than most PL reserves. However, leg trailer, Alex from Eskiltuna (sounds fishy) has a preference for big tracks.

And that's always been the Achilles' heel of Berwick sides who generally find the tighter confines of the Scotwaste Arena difficult to come to terms with. So this is a big test for this Bandits side who will be desperate to dent the Monarchs' League Cup chances, having already gone out themselves.

A home win is on the cards, but there are enough surprise packets in this Bandits team to make for another exciting night of red-hot speedway action. How will Max and Marcel fare this week? Can Jozsef score a maximum? Will Craig set a new track record? Be there at 7.30 on Friday night to find out!

Likely line-ups:

EDINBURGH SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Derek Sneddon (capt.), Theo Pijper, Max Fricke, Claus Vissing, Marcel Helfer, Jozsef Tabaka.

BERWICK NEW HOLLAND BANDITS: R/R for Ricky Ashworth, Kozza Smith, Robin Aspegren, Matthew Wethers, David Bellego, Alex Edberg, Nicki Barrett.