EDINBURGH Scotwaste Monarchs will be without key riders for their vital KO Cup quarter-final clashes against Redcar Bears this week.
Swede Thomas Jonasson misses both legs due to World Under-21 commitments, while team-mate William Lawson will be absent from Thursday's first meeting on Teeside because he is riding in the British Final at Swindon on the same evening.
Workington's
Carl Stonehewer will guest for Lawson while the rider replacement facility will operate for Jonasson.
But, perhaps more crucially, reserve Andrew Tully, who has hit top form for the Capital club recently, won't contest the deciding tie at Armadale on Friday as he will be en-route to a World Under-21 quarter-final in Germany having been drafted in to replace injured Steve Boxall.
Monarchs will also be permitted a guest for Tully. But Monarchs promoter John Campbell said: "We simply won't find anyone as good as Andrew at the moment. Andrew is disappointed to miss his home leg but promised me he will score a maximum at Redcar to make up for it!
"There is nothing we can do under the circumstances. Thomas feels he can do well in the under-21 championship and a lot of riders consider this to be of greater importance than team glory."
And there will be a further reshuffle on Friday week when Lawson and Jonasson – both riding in a World Under-21 Team Cup fixture – miss Monarchs' Premier League engagement against the Isle of Wight Islanders at Armadale.
Meanwhile, Monarchs track a full-strength squad for today's Premier League trip to Scunthorpe Scorpions. Monarchs were in rampant mood in defeating Scunthorpe 68-22 at the Lothian Arena on Friday.
But Campbell, while expecting Monarchs to complete the double, warned things will be a lot tougher round Scunthorpe's Normany Road circuit.
"While Scunthorpe's Magnus Karlsson, Richard Hall, and Andrew Moore struggled at Armadale, they will prove a lot tougher round their own track.
"We are not complacent, but the way the confidence is running through our whole team, I think we'll pick up the away win."
The full article contains 358 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
