Edinburgh Monarchs v Berwick Bandits

PREVIEW Friday 26th July 2013, 12:00pm

by Gordon Fraser

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Berwick Bandits are the visitors to the Scotwaste Arena when the Edinburgh Monarchs will be looking to cement their place in the top six of the Premier League this Friday (7.30) after having one of their matches in hand nullified last week in a gating masterclass by Newcastle.

Berwick may be in the lower half of the league after a difficult campaign, but they will surely think they have a better chance than ever of coming away with points since there are key similarities to the Newcastle match with Monarchs having ridden the night before and injury replacement expected to produce extra points.

At No.1, Craig Cook will be looking to put his recent inconsistencies behind him and return to his dominant best against the 10-year Sheffield star and 2009 Premier League Riders Champion, Ricky Ashworth who missed the meeting of these sides three months ago as well as a fair chunk of the season due to concussion.

Monarchs' captain and No.2, Derek Sneddon was one of the most surprising of the Monarchs to be outgated last week since this is so often his speciality. He lines up opposite the 20-year-old French long track rider, David Bellego who first rode for Glasgow and has now been switched from No.5 to No.2.

Monarchs' fans will be looking for a big score from their battling favourite at No.3, Theo Pijper. His opposite number once again will be 24-year-old Robin Aspegren from Vetlanda in Sweden whose progress has been held back by a series of injuries since winning a KO Cup medal with the now-defunct Newport Wasps.

Max Fricke is still learning fast and is making a big impression in his first Premier League season but this week he faces fellow Australian Matthew Wethers at No.4, a rider who should know every inch of the Armadale track after a highly successful 10-year spell in the blue and gold.

There's a key match-up at No. 5 where Edinburgh's hard-charging Dane, Claus Vissing faces Berwick's hard-charging captain, Kozza Smith who had to miss the whole of the 2012 season when he suffered a serious leg break in a collision with Troy Batchelor in the Australian Championships.

It's all change at reserve where Marcel Helfer's replacement, Mitchell Davey will be feeling the pressure to get among the points. However it will not be easy against Berwick's guest replacement at No.6, 17-year-old Adam Ellis who was born in France and rides for Isle of Wight and Ipswich.

Last but not least, Monarchs' all-action No.7, Jozsef Tabaka will be hoping for a big payday when he lines up opposite Berwick's spirited 22-year-old Paul Starke who has a liking for the bigger, faster tracks such as Isle of Wight and who travels up from Worcester every week to represent the Bandits.

The difference in the home tracks of both clubs usually plays a big part in the outcome of matches between these two sides and Monarchs will be hoping this week is no exception. If they can get off to a solid start for a change, this could set them on the way to a big score and all three points.

As for Berwick, they have nothing to lose and will be certain to give this one a really good go. If they can get off to a solid start, it might just set off uncertainties on the other side of the pits. Either way, this is a big test for both teams, so make sure you're there to cheer your side to the rafters. Tapes up 7.30.

Likely line-ups:

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

BERWICK NEW HOLLAND BANDITS: Ricky Ashworth (capt.), David Bellego, Robin Aspegren, Matthew Wethers, Kozza Smith (capt.), Adam Ellis (guest), Paul Starke.

Full Result Details