Academy Look To Bounce Back

PREVIEW Saturday 24th June 2023, 2:15pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs Academy

The Stellar Monarchs Academy are on the road again on Saturday as they head to current league champion Leicester looking to halt a recent run of defeats.

This will be no easy task though as anyone who was in attendance at Armadale last week will have seen firsthand the strength the Lion Cubs have in their squad as they look to make it back-to-back league titles.

The stars of the show for the Lion Cubs last week were their pair of 15-year-old phenoms Ashton Boughen and Max James both of whom will be in their usual positions for this one.

Elsewhere there are a couple of changes to the Lion Cubs team with Joe Thompson suffering a suspected broken collarbone on Friday evening Connor Coles steps in, Coles a member of that league winning team last year so no stranger to the Leicester track.

At reserve Kai Ward steps in for Vinnie Foord who is still out with a wrist injury. One further difference to the usual line-up seeing rider replacement in operation for Tom Spencer who broke his arm at Workington earlier in the month.

The Monarchs academy side also has a little bit of a reshuffle with Kyran Lyden's solid start to the season seeing an increase in average to 3.50 and a move to number 2 where he will partner recent signing Max Clegg.

Mickie Simpson's absence from the team was short and he is back in at number 7 where the hope is the Academy will have a real sting in their tail with Simpson another who was a member of the Leicester team last year and Dayle Wood who has now found his feet a very strong looking pair.

Jacob Hook returns after missing the home tie so the spearhead of Hook, Clegg and Adam Roynan will be looked at for the heat wins required to win any meeting.

Alex Spooner still misses out as he recovers from his collarbone injury with rider replacement allowing Hook, Lyden, Wood and Simpson to deputise.

So, an intriguing looking match looks likely as the Monarchs academy look to record their first victory since the start of May, tapes up at 7pm.

Full Result Details