Edinburgh Monarchs v Redcar Bears

"Aaron Summers brings his Redcar team to Armadale this Friday (7.30) and the high-flying Bears could do some serious damage to the Premier League ambitions of a distinctly under-strength Monarchs side.

Not for the first ever time, a long track commitment means Theo Pijper will be missing, and new reserve Mitchell Davey is out injured. On the other side of the pits, after a distinctly poor start to their season, Redcar have won nine of their last twelve matches including a narrow win at Berwick and a huge win at Sheffield.

From the top, what a joy it is to have the very best Premier League rider, Craig Cook, showing off his silky skills at No.1 every week. His opposite number is the very experienced Danish flying machine, 31-year-old Ulrich Ostergaard who can be seriously quick.

Edinburgh's popular captain, Derek Sneddon has been turning his normal all out effort into bigger points returns of late which is a really welcome development. Redcar's No.2 is Hugh Skidmore, a talented 22-year-old from New South Wales who started his UK career at Sheffield in 2009.

Theo Pijper's absence can be covered by one ride each from any of the other Monarchs, but his big scores and his heat 15 pairing with Craig Cook will still be missed. Riding at No.3 for the Bears is 23-year-old Matej Kus from the Czech Republic who began his UK career as a Berwick Bandit in 2007.

One of the best battles will be at No.4 where the sensational Hungarian Jozsef Tabaka moves up from reserve and can take five rides if required. His opposite number is Australian, Micky Dyer who has been in great demand for guest bookings due to his consistent scoring ability.

Monarchs' new super enthusiastic No.5, Claus Vissing, has still to achieve his ambition of mastering the Scotwaste Arena circuit, so this would be an ideal week to do it against one of the best riders to have moved on from the Monarchs (at the end of 2009), Aaron Summers.

Edinburgh have booked the best available National League guest at No.6, 19-year-old James Sarjeant from Sheffield who is riding with the new Coventry Storm side this year. He faces a huge challenge against Carl Wilkinson from Boston, Lincs who is now in his 17th UK season.

Max Fricke is a fast and determined learner, and a switch to reserve should spur him on to aim for a return to a spot in the top five. His quest begins against another former Monarch, the German Max Dilger whose scoring has improved since leaving Armadale.

Monarchs will have to hit the ground running if they hope to take all three points from what has become a much harder fixture than it was envisaged to be. It will certainly be a real test of just how well this Monarchs team can pull together in the face of adversity.

The Bears will be on a high, especially if they can take the points from a difficult home meeting against Somerset on Thursday. This promises to be a real Friday night nail-biter, so the Monarchs will need all the support you can give them. Tapes up at 7.30 sharp.

Likely line-ups:

EDINBURGH SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Derek Sneddon (capt.), rider replacement for Theo Pijper, Jozsef Tabaka, Claus Vissing, James Sarjeant (guest), Max Fricke.

REDCAR 'ECCO FINISHING' BEARS: Ulrich Ostergaard, Hugh Skidmore, Matej Kus, Micky Dyer, Aaron Summers (capt.), Carl Wilkinson, Max Dilger.