BANDITS RAID ARMADALE

NEWS Wednesday 20th August 2008, 8:43pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Berwick Bandits are a quite different side to the one Monarchs faced early in the season, and they provide this week's opposition at Armadale on Friday (7.30).

The weather forecast is good! Bandits' top man Adrian Rymel, this year one of the top Premier League riders, makes his Armadale debut for the season, and the Bandits are fielding as ever an international lineup. For Monarchs William Lawson is not ready to return from injury and favourite guest Mark Lemon will line up at no. 1 again.

TEAMS FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH AT ARMADALE ON FRIDAY 22nd AUGUST (start time 7.30, doors open 6.30) are:

EDINBURGH SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Mark Lemon (guest), Derek Sneddon (capt.), Thomas H Jonasson, Matthew Wethers, Ryan Fisher, Andrew Tully, Aaron Summers

BERWICK ANDERSON'S BUTCHERS BANDITS: Adrian Rymel, Norbert Magosi, Michal Makovsky, Paul Clews, Tero Aarnio, Guglielmi Franchetti, Scott Smith.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES: Most of the dates for the remainder of the season have been decided as far as they can be at the moment, other than the League visit to Glasgow which was called off last Sunday. Here is the current list:

Aug 22 Edinburgh v Berwick (PL); Aug 27 Somerset v Edinburgh (PL); Aug 29 Edinburgh v Somerse (PL)t; Aug 30 Stoke v Edinburgh (PL ; Sept 5 Edinburgh v Glasgow (PL); Sept 11 Redcar v Edinburgh (PL); Set 12 Edinburgh v Newcastle (PL); Sept 14 Newcastle v Edinburgh (PL); Sept 19 Edinburgh: Reserved; Sept 26 Edinburgh v Workington (KO); Sept 27 Workington v Edinburgh (KO); Sept 28 Birmingham v Edinburgh PT Final 2nd leg; Oct 3 Premier League Play offs; Oct 10 Reserved Premier League Play offs; Oct 17 Reserved Promotion Play Off; Oct 24 Edinburgh v Glasgow Scottish Cup; Oct 31 Reserved

PREMIER TROPHY: The date for the second leg of the Premier Trophy Final has been agreed as shown above ? Sunday 28th September (6pm).

Following another powerful Armadale show last Friday Monarchs will take a 65-24 advantage down to Perry Barr.

CUP DATES: Monarchs are competing on all fronts and have agreed KO Cup semi-final dates with Workington, 26th September at Armadale and the following day at Derwent Park.

Bookings for the trip to Workington will be taken immediately to get the biggest possible travelling support.

SOMERSET COMING UP: Edinburgh and Somerset meet for the first time this season next week (away ? Wednesday, Armadale - Friday.

Mark Lemon is on standby as guest if William Lawson's injuries have still not healed.

MEETING SPONSOR: Sponsoring the visit of the Bandits on Friday will be James Banks Joinery of West Calder.

INTERNATIONAL BANDITS: No doubt about the no. 1 attraction on Friday, that has to be the visit of Adrian Rymel whose form has dramatically improved on anything we have seen from his previously.

His Armadale record is only fair but this year he has scarcely had a bad meeting anywhere.

Of course the Bandits' team have improved out of all recognition since the early part of the season and they are now pushing into the upper reaches of the table.

Paul Clews actually has the best Armadale record of the visitors though the forceful Makovsky is sure to be a threat.

The presence of Hungarian Norbert Magosi is apparently not guaranteed, he may be back home.

LAST MEETING: Monarchs recorded an amazing 65-24 win in the first leg of the Premier Trophy Final against Birmingham. Ryan Fisher scored the first full maximum of his career, six wins out of six, and reserve Aaron Summers was also unbeaten by the opposition.

NEXT MEETING: Title challenging Somerset, with Jason Doyle leading the way, are the Armadale visitors on Friday 29th August.

Full Result Details