Redcar v Glasgow preview
Redcar Agilia Bears face Glasgow Tigers this Friday night at the Media Prima Arena, in the last home regular season fixture (7:30pm start).
With Berwick’s defeat at Birmingham last night, barring two very heavy defeats against Glasgow and Newcastle on Sunday, the Bears will take their place in the playoffs for the title. A win against Glasgow in Friday would make it impossible for the teams below to catch them. The Bears go into this meeting on a high, after qualifying for the KO Cup Final where they will face local rivals Newcastle and pulling back a 18 point deficit against Scunthorpe to get a league point. Promoter Jitendra Duffill was delighted with his team after the weekends battles:
“The Semi-Final against Eastbourne almost went to a last heat decider and that is proof of just how close the tie was. A 10 point lead was always going to be difficult to defend at Eastbourne, but our boys raced with passion and determination, as they have done all year. To do it without our Captain and then to lose Michael Palm Toft in the 2nd leg made the achievement much more impressive and our boys should be very proud of their achievements. I have to give Eastbourne and their promotion, who were gracious and complimentary in defeat, a lot of praise for their sportsmanship. We saw a hard fought, but fair competition and either team would have been worthy of making the final. I’d also like to thank our 3 guests over the weekend for their contributions. Jake, Adam and Ryan gave everything they had and played vital roles for us.”
Both teams go into this meeting at full strength, with Glasgow also having qualified for the playoffs. Bears skipper Charles Wright returns to the side after his forced 9 day ban due to concussion sustained in the Somerset meeting. Glasgow will have Team GB star Craig Cook at number 1 whilst Mikkel B Andersen, who was a Bear last season, is also in their ranks as a fairly new addition. Rasmus Jensen and Claus Vissing have both shown a liking for the MPA in the past, whilst promising young Dane Sam Jensen has had a decent start to his Glasgow career. Young Aussie Connor Bailey has impressed at reserve for the Tigers, and is joined by ex-Bears mascot Kyle Bickley.
It promises to be another cracking meeting – and don’t forget Under 16’s go free with a paying adult!
Redcar: Charles Wright, Kasper Andersen, Michael Palm Toft, Jordan Stewart, Erik Riss, Tom Woolley, Nathan Greaves
Glasgow: Craig Cook, Sam Jensen, Claus Vissing, Mikkel B Andersen, Rasmus Jensen, Connor Bailey, Kyle Bickley