Victor Palovaara racing v Redcar last season Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

Back to League action at last

NEWS Wednesday 19th June 2019, 5:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Redcar Bears are the visitors to Armadale this Friday for what remarkably is their first match in the Championship this season, while for the Staggs Bar Monarchs it is their third fixture with one win and one loss so far.

The Bears will be at full strength while Monarchs expect to welcome back Josh Pickering, and will see Victor Palovaara make his debut for the season. Luke Ruddick is not fit following a series of recent crashes and Connor Coles will stand in at no. 7 for him.

Last year Monarchs crushed the Bears scoring 69 against them at Armadale and an incredible 57 away. Maybe that explains why they retained only one rider for this season's team, though in truth these results were untypical for either Redcar or the Monarchs and nothing like them is expected this weekend.

Star men for Redcar now are ex-Monarch Charles Wright and the battling Dane Michael Palm Toft. Redcar's best result so far is to have resoundingly knocked much-fancied Somerset out of the KO Cup.

Club chairman Alex Harkess said "Our aim for the matches with Redcar is to get more than just the 3 points for the home win. That is always the aim. We don't want to leave the away match tomorrow empty-handed and the more we get the better, we have done very well there in the past, and we hope to do so again."

Over the weekend Monarchs race the return at Redcar on Saturday evening and head down to the Fours at Peterborough on Sunday, fielding a team of Wells, Pickering, Andersson and Heeps.

Friday 21st June: Staggs Bar Monarchs v Redcar Bears (Championship) 7:30pm

Teams:

EDINBURGH STAGGS BAR MONARCHS: Ricky Wells (captain), Victor Palovaara, Josh Pickering, Joel Andersson, Cameron Heeps, William Lawson, Connor Coles (guest).

REDCAR AGILIA BEARS: Charles Wright (captain), Tom Bacon, Ulrich Ostergaard, Jordan Stewart, Michael Palm Toft, Nathan Greaves, Jack Smith.

Saturday 22nd June: Redcar Bears v Staggs Bar Monarchs (Championship), 7:30pm

Sunday 23rd June: Championship Fours at Peterborough, 2pm