SHEFFIELD FIRST IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE

NEWS Tuesday 22nd April 2014, 6:53pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs are still on their record-breaking unbeaten start to the season, but in the time-honoured phrase, “taking one match at a time” as they approach Friday’s opening Premier League fixture, the visit of Sheffield Tigers to Armadale.

Sheffield are in fact the only team other than Monarchs to have clinched a semi-final place in the League Cup. Prior to Friday’s even Craig Cook and Derek Sneddon begin their tilt at the 2014 British Championship by racing in the semi-final at Sheffield.

TEAMS FOR THE LEAGUE CUP MATCH AT ARMADALE ON FRIDAY 25th APRIL (start time 7.30, doors open 6.30) are:

SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Aaron Fox, Max Fricke, Derek Sneddon (capt.), Sam Masters, Justin Sedgmen, Steve Worrall.

SHEFFIELD WINDOW CENTRE TIGERS: Simon Stead (capt.), Simon Nielsen, Leigh Lanham, Taylor Poole, Adam Roynon, Andre Compton, Josh Bates.

BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP: The successful top eight from the British Championship semi-final at Sheffield qualify for the British Final at Wolverhampton on Monday 16th June.

Craig Cook reached the final last year and finished fourth, and will be hoping to improve on that this time round.

Derek Sneddon has not previously qualified for the British Final. He will be looking for the form which saw him score 16 points at Owlerton last August - his last Sheffield visit.

Amongst the other competitors are Chris Harris, Scott Nicholls, Danny King, Simon Stead and Ben Barker.

World Champion Tai Woffinden races in next week’s Rye House semi-final.

ANOTHER RECORD IN SIGHT: Having set a new record for an unbeaten run at the start of the season, Monarchs can now look further – to the all-time record of ten successive victories set in 2003, which comprised 5 home and 5 away matches.

Friday’s match against Sheffield is the ninth match of the season, so if Monarchs manage to win that they will then attempt to equal the record when they visit Ipswich on Thursday 1st May.

LEAGUE CUP: There are two matches left in what is called the ‘Border’ section of the League Cup, but Monarchs on 20 points (one short of the maximum possible) have easily won the group.

Sheffield pipped Redcar by a point to win the ‘Northern’ group but the Southern group is not yet decided.

Peterborough are favourites but Somerset, Ipswich and even Plymouth have a chance. As well as the winners, the best-placed second team qualifies.

MEETING SPONSORS: Friday’s meeting will be sponsored by Jus Bounce, the West Lothian company who supply bouncy castles and a great deal more.

GOOD START FOR THE NEW BOSSES: Over the winter, long time Sheffield promoter Neil Machin brought his tenure at Sheffield to an end.

Thankfully there was a new group willing to take the reins and now Damien Bates and Peter Mole are the Owlerton bosses.

They have put together a team that the fans seem happy with and which has passed its first test in making the League Cup semis.

Simon Stead is the star man in the side, and it’s quite some time since Simon last visited Armadale in Workington colours. Adam Roynon and Leigh Lanham are also experienced heat leaders.

Australian Taylor Poole is back in the UK after a year out, and he was certainly regarded as a top prospect a couple of years ago.

But possibly the reserves are the most interesting part of the Tigers side. Andre Compton is very experienced and is a former winner of the Scottish Open Championship, and at the other end of the age scale 18 year old Josh Bates (a successful guest for Monarchs last year) has just won the British Under-21 Championship!

LAST MEETING: The Scotwaste Monarchs beat Glasgow 55-38, and then went to Glasgow on Sunday and won by an amazing 58-35. The whole team scored well.

NEXT MEETING: Monarchs have a very busy start to May with 5 matches in the first ten days, starting away at Ipswich (Thursday 1st) and at home to Scunthorpe (Friday 2nd).