Image Credit: Ron Macneill

Bears On The Hunt

NEWS Wednesday 19th April 2017, 2:00pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

This week’s visitors to Armadale are the rebuilt and reinvigorated Redcar SG Petch Bears in SGB Championship action.

Redcar enter the 2017 under a new promotional team and with a new look team that appears ready to challenge for honours this season and after a morale boosting win at Scunthorpe last Sunday they will head north looking to take the spoils.

Redcar fans have been starved of success over the last few years. However this seasons squad looks like it has the ability to change this with no less than 6 changes from the septet that finished last year.

In have come well known established performers in Jason Garrity, Ben Barker, Charles Wright and Richard Hall alongside young up and comers Ellis Perks and Coty Garcia to complete a dynamic line-up

Unfortunately two of these new recruits will be forced to miss this week’s match with Jason Garrity and Charles Wright both unavailable. Glasgow’s top performer so far this season Richie Worrall steps in for Garrity and a rider replacement facility has been granted for Wright with all bar the aforementioned Worrall able to take an extra ride.

This does not look to weaken the Bears greatly and Monarchs co-promoter Alex Harkess is taking nothing for granted commenting on the visitors Harkess said ‘It’s almost too early to say much about Redcar as they have ridden so few matches. They have done well away holding Peterborough close and winning at Scunthorpe so we will need to be at the top of our game.’

The Parsons Peebles Monarchs now move into a busy segment in their season as we face 4 matches in an 8 day spell.

After this Friday’s match the Monarchs head south to Scunthorpe on Sunday. Sunday have made an inconsistent start to the season with a good win over Glasgow followed by that defeat to the Bears the following week.

Next Thursday we travel to Sheffield for the first leg of our KO Cup tie against Sheffield in what is one of the toughest draws we could have wished for. The return leg being at Armadale the following night.

Teams for the SGB Championship match at Armadale on Friday 21st April (start time 7:30pm, gates open 6:30pm), are:

PARSONS PEEBLES MONARCHS: Sam Masters (capt.), Josh Pickering, Erik Riss, Max Clegg, Ricky Wells, Mark Riss, Mitchell Davey.

REDCAR SG PETCH BEARS: Richie Worrall (Guest), Coty Garcia, Charles Wright Rider/Replacement, Jonas B. Andersen, Ben Barker (capt.), Richard Hall, Ellis Perks

UNUSUAL LOOKING BEARS:

Redcar have been forced into a pair of changes prior to Friday night’s fixture. Top man Jason Garrity is missing due to a family funeral and ex-Monarch Charles Wright will be in action for his Premiership side Somerset. In form Glasgow rider Richie Worrall deputises for Garrity while a rider replacement facility is used for Wright.

This does not look to weaken the Bears and with Ben Barker showing the form that made him one of the top men in the league in the past and a strong reserve pairing this may well be the toughest task the Parsons Peebles Monarchs have faced so far this season.

LAST MEETING:

The Parsons Peebles Monarchs continued their impressive start to the season with a comfortable 57-33 victory over the Berwick Bandits. The Monarchs top men were in impressive form with Erik Riss, Ricky Wells and Sam Masters all being unbeaten.