Dave Nason gets carried off court
(19/02/2000)
| Riga's hopes of a place in this year's Cup semi-finals were dashed by Polonia who walked away from Warwick's St. Nicholas Park Leisure Centre on Saturday with a three-nil triumph. The home side put up a spirited fight but a depleted squad was no match in the end for an experienced Polonia outfit. An injury to Riga's David Nason mid-way through the second set also helped seal the home side's fate and will be a blow to their League ambitions. | ||
| Riga went into the match without inspirational captain Tom Young and defensive specialist Mark Fearn. However Riga were first on the score sheet and early on looked at home with fourth-placed Polonia. Then came disaster as a fragile Riga pass allowed Polonia to gain the upper hand with some dominating blocks. The seeds were now sown and at 25-16, they blossomed into a Polonia success. | ||
| Captain-for-the-day Phil Wyles opened Riga's account in the second set with a block as again the home side started well. A dubious line call which would have levelled the scores at 6 each then signalled a partial collapse for Riga. Barely had the fight back begun when David Nason twisted an ankle to take him out of the game, and possibly Riga's squad for the rest of the season. Polonia took advantage of the disruption to forge further ahead but the set was far from over. The home side fought back with Pete Abraham, John Gilling and Graham Duckett spurred on by Wyles edging back the deficit. However the gap was too large to start with and try as they might Riga were pipped at the post 25-21. |
Dave Nason gets carried off court |
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| The closeness of set two seemed to spur Polonia on in the third as they rattled up a commanding lead in the early stages of the set. With Riga's attack finding it difficult to get through the visitors' defence, the result was becoming obvious. Still the home side battled but at 25-17 the cause for this night was lost. | ||
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Graham Duckett in action |
"With key players out, this was always going to be a hard one to win" summed up Phil Wyles after the game. "We wanted to give them something to think about before we play them in the League next week and I think we did that. For us next Saturday is more important than tonight." | |
| In a quirk of fate, Riga's next match in National League Division One is a home fixture against Polonia at the St. Nicholas Park Leisure Centre, Warwick on Saturday (6pm). Riga hope to have Young and Fearn back for the match, although Nason is already ruled out. The club may now seek additional cover to replace the youngster who has performed outstandingly in his first season. | ||
John Boughton