Monarchs: Reserves let us down says Craig Cook

Published on Friday 17 June 2011 12:31

CRAIG COOK today said Edinburgh Monarchs must sort out their reserve problems because it is placing too much pressure on the Capital club's top five scoring septet.

Cook spoke out after Monarchs defeated Sheffield Tigers 49-41 in last night's Premier League clash at rain-affected Armadale, which saw tail-end duo Lee Dicken and guest Adam McKinna pick up just two points between them. In contrast Sheffield pair Ashley Birks and Simon Lambert jointly collected nine points.

Cook said: "There is a lot of pressure on our top five which is the best in the league, but our reserves are not scoring. It is so hard on the rest of us, there are a couple of reserve candidates out there and we need to get them snapped up. Our top five go out and do their jobs, but it's usually reserves who let us down."

Cook added: "That's a hard thing to say but it's the truth, and the truth sometimes hurts. I have personally spoken to Jason Garrity who rides for Belle Vue Colts in the National League and he is interested in coming. He is a hell of a rider and could do a job, but I don't know if he is ready, or whether he has the equipment."

Without doubt the knives are out for Dicken, who made a swift exit after the meeting and felt aggrieved at being blocked in his first outing in heat two.

And just to add to

Monarchs' woes, it's been rumoured that William Lawson, who quit racing this season because of the new silencers, causing Monarchs to frantically cast around to fill their reserve positions, is ready to make a comeback for Glasgow Tigers. Lawson has allegedly been practising down at Stoke in preparation to replace Michal Rajkowski at Ashfield.

It was feared Monarchs could have been on a sticky wicket against Sheffield who used rider replacement for the missing Ricky Ashworth and hired Aaron Summers as a guest for the injured Josh Auty. But Monarchs showed their steel on a greasy surface and clinched the meeting with one race to spare courtesy of a victory by Kalle Katajisto in heat 14.

His eleven point return was a reminder of just how good he can be when on song. "It has been difficult for me lately", he said, "But I felt happy with my score and it was more easy for me, I enjoyed myself."

Cook hasn't covered himself in glory either stumbling to a measly four point score at Redcar Bears on Thursday which came hard on the heels of a similar return at Glasgow four days earlier. But the Englishman helped tame the Yorkshireman with a confidence-boosting 12 point haul.

He said: "The last couple of matches haven't been too good for me and I don't know why that was, but everybody has up and down meetings, you just have to forget about the bad ones and move on.I did a good job and was pleased to top score for the team. I was under a bit pressure, but there has been nothing wrong with my riding, it's just been my gating. It was tricky because of the rain and I scared myself in my last race because I was so wide out to the fence.

"There are not that many people who go that wide, perhaps Ryan Fisher, but he's got a few screws loose.

"I wasn't able to beat Shane Parker but we got a share of the heat which secured all three match points, and that was the most important thing."

Ashley Morris was due to partner Dicken, but the youngster who failed to score at Redcar, was a no-show and was replaced by McKinna. James Grieves deputised for Monarchs injured No.?1 Kevin Wolbert and scored seven from his four outings.

Monarchs: Cook 12, Katajisto 11, Tully 9, Wethers 8, Grieves 7, Dicken 1, McKinna 1.

Sheffield: Parker 12, Summers 8, Skidmore 7, Lambert 6, Sanchez 5, Birks 3.

"There's not many who go that wide, perhaps Ryan Fisher, but he's got a few screws loose"