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A new season of volleyball starts this Saturday with the Riga Men's National League Division One team entertaining last season's Cup Finalists, City of Stoke, at the St. Nicholas Park Leisure Centre, Warwick (6pm). With two years of mounting success behind them, will this year see further Riga progress or is their peak behind them? The visit of their near rivals from the Potteries, who triumphed over them in the Cup semi-finals, will be a stern initial test of Riga's continuing stature in the top flight. |
| The side finished a record-breaking third last season and reached the Cup semi-finals for the first time in its history. But disappointment in that match and the feeling of being robbed of the chance of second place - Docklands being gifted their final match - left the team frustrated at the end of last season. That sense of unfulfilled potential continued at the Whitefield tournament in July. Although ending up a creditable third in Division One, the team had chances to make the Final but threw them away. Profligacy like that during the season will put a big dent in any ambition to improve on last term. "The last couple or three seasons have been the best the club has had," notes veteran Tom Young. "Each time we thought we wouldn't do better but we did. Now we're right up at the top of the pile and there ain't much further to go. I think we can still improve but it's going to be a lot tougher, a whole lot tougher. This is a big season for us. Are we a top four side or have we blown our gasket?" |
| Certainly the run up to the season has not seen Riga firing on all cylinders. Training has been disrupted by holidays and injuries, most notably to middle player Richard Meade. Also having had several years of a steadily strengthening and expanding squad, the team has experienced more departures than arrivals. Colin Patterson has retired through injury and Mark Bottomley now works in Ireland. Their loss has put Riga resources under pressure and has put on hold the retirement of inspirational skipper Tom Young. "We've had feelers out for two or three players but it hasn't come to anything," says Young. "So I'm going to dust off the old shoes and see what I can do to help out short-term. We're still trying to get a couple of new faces in but I don't think it'll be before the season starts." |
| So what are the side's prospects against Stoke? The Potters, once the bogey team of Riga, were well and truly put in their place last season with two three-one League defeats. However they bounced back in the Cup with a surprise three-one result to stifle any Riga hopes of a first-ever Cup Final appearance. With Stoke showing no changes from last term, an under-prepared Riga team will face a consistent, hard-working if unflashy set of opponents who know that if they can repeat their Cup performance, an opening day upset is on the cards. "Stoke are a tidy outfit," acknowledges Young, "but the form book will have this one down as a win for us. I know we're capable of that and you can be sure the rest of our team will know that too. Anything less than victory is unacceptable." |
| John Boughton |