HAVING already signed up with Redcar Cubs in the Conference League, Edinburgh Monarchs reserve ace Aaron Summers insists he won't have divided loyalties when the Capital outfit open their Premier League programme against the senior Redcar Bears on Teeside tonight.
Summers insists his sole focus will be on helping Monarchs achieve victory but acknowledged if he does make a scoring impact, his Cubs bosses will be equally impressed.
The 20-year-old Aussie, who was scheduled to make his Cubs debut at King's Lyn
n last night, has made a promising start at the tail-end for Monarchs. He has notched up some useful wins and isn't shy about passing opponents either.
With six meetings under his belt now, Summers says: "I'm doing all right so far. I'm still settling in to a degree and hopefully things will get even better for me as the season goes on. I'm on top of my bike set-up now and this should help me score even more points."
Anxious to get more track time, Summers, was snapped up by the Cubs to replace injured No 1 Greg Blair. Summers had two Conference League outings for Buxton last season and scored 19 points for them at Stoke.
Cubs manager Jason Pipe said: "We are indebted to Edinburgh for allowing us to use him and they of course take priority when there is a clash of fixtures."
Summers said: "One of the reasons I was happy to join the Cubs is the opportunity to visit different tracks, which will help me with my engine set-ups."
Summers has only done four laps at the Redcar circuit and that was a year ago. He said: "It seemed to be not too bad a circuit and quite a good shape."
The Bears haven't had to seek their problems despite the fact the season is just a few weeks old. Their American ace Chris Kerr broke his leg at Scunthorpe two weeks ago and Scot James Grieves returns to action after being sidelined with a chest infection. Deemed favourites to head their Premier Trophy qualifying group, the Bears are bottom and still eyeing their first victory of 2008.
Monarchs by contrast have strung six wins together, their winning sequence only ended by Workington Comets at Derwent Park on Saturday.
But Summers believes the Bears could be a shade vunerable right now. "The team is going really well," he said. "All the boys are working for each other and we have a really good team spirit in the camp. We have a decent chance. I'm really happy with the engine I'm currently using, it is ideal for smaller tracks and I'll be using it tonight. I knew riding in the Premier League would be tough when I came over, but I'm doing all right."
Aside from Grieves and skipper Gary Havelock, Josh Auty and Ty Procter could be key men for the home side. Monarchs will be at full strength for the clash, Swede Thomas Jonasson returning to the saddle after injuring his back at Glasgow Tigers two weeks ago.
The full article contains 517 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
