Redcar Bears v Scunthorpe Scorpions – Thursday 3rd May – Championship Shield – 7:30pm
Redcar ‘ECCO Finishing Supplies’ Bears are aiming to restore some pride, as they take on Scunthorpe at the Media Prima Arena on Thursday night (7:30pm start).
After last weeks 51-39 defeat against Sheffield, the Bears can no longer qualify from there group in the Championship Shield. They will wounded after last weeks defeat though, and will be keen to get back to winning ways this week. Team boss Jitendra Duffill was bitterly disappointed with last weeks performance:
Without wanting to state the obvious, there were some areas of concern last week and the team and myself had some very honest discussions between us after the meeting. We know our performance wasn’t good enough and we need to see some vast improvements this week. We can do better and we had proved that the week before against a Newcastle side that have done very well since we beat them.
Scunthorpe come to Teesside with a side tipped to do very well by the pundits. And whilst they are missing number 1 Steve Worrall due to injury, they have a powerful looking side. Ricky Wells will guest for Worrall, whilst the Scorpions can boast the likes of Jason Garrity and Josh Auty amongst their ranks. Duffill knows the Scorpions, and Garrity in particular will be strong:
This week we face another side who are well tipped to do well in 2018. Scunthorpe have started 2018 well and bring with them riders who have plenty of experience riding our circuit. They are also looking to top our Championship Shield group so they have plenty of motivation. Jason Garrity will be a big threat and there is sure to be plenty of excitement on track whenever he is racing. Ben certainly won’t want to be beaten by him so their encounters could be very interesting.
The Bears are back to full strength, with Tobias Busch and Matej Kus returning after their SEC meeting last week. There is a change in the riding order however, as Tobias Busch now has a new average which puts him in the main body of the team. Young Aussie Jordan Stewart will drop down to reserve. Duffill believes his side have a lot to prove this week:
We have a lot to prove this week and that should be enough motivation for us. It hurts me to lose at home and I want to see a good response from our side. We can’t progress further in our cup group but there is plenty of pride at stake and that is just as important.
Redcar: Ben Barker, Tobias Busch, Jonas B Andersen, Mikkel B Andersen, Matej Kus, Theo Pijper, Jordan Stewart
Scunthorpe: Ricky Wells (guest), Stefan Nielse, Josh Auty, Jake Allen, Jason Garrity, Danny Phillips, Gino Manzares
