(06/03/2001)
Warwick Riga’s Men’s team take a break from pursuing their League ambitions this Sunday when they bid to repeat last season’s appearance in the Shield Final with a semi-final match against Tonbridge at Kenilworth’s Castle Farm Leisure Centre (noon). The Division One versus Division Four clash is the classic stuff of Cup competitions and Riga must be wary against becoming Goliath to Tonbridge’s David. Riga’s first-ever national victory just eleven months ago in that Shield Final appearance has done wonders for the team. Despite a hit-and-miss start to the season, from mid-November to mid-January they were unbeatable, putting together their best ever sequence of results in Division One. Despite exiting from the Cup proper and suffering two defeats in as many weeks against the top two sides in the country this year, the side bounced back a fortnight ago with its first ever victory over Stoke. That result assumes even more resonance when set against the background of the players absent from that performance. Even last season, a Warwick team without captain Tom Young would have been an easy target. Add his absence to that of the influential Tom Spijkers, flamboyant Frenchman Vincent Joubert and rising star David Nason and the victory assumes even greater significance.
With the arrival of Dutchman Kees de Hoogh and the resurrection of Tim Bugg’s National League career, the side is showing it now has the strength in depth to go places - in the Shield as well as the League. However Tonbridge could still prove difficult opponents. Their interest in the Cup was ended by Stoke but only after five keenly contested sets. They have a mixture of old hands and youth and will certainly fancy their chances of raining on the Riga parade. "Last year we won the Shield and that was brilliant," says captain Tom Young. "In the League we finished eighth and that was disappointing. This year we’ve got a good chance of finishing fourth - our best finish ever - and defending our Shield title in Sheffield. That’s our target now and that’s what I’ll be pushing everyone to achieve."
Last Sunday saw the Women’s Division Three side in action against T H Lynx. When the side travelled to London with a depleted squad the warning signs were already in evidence. The three-nil defeat confirmed expectations. "We didn’t play well and with the number of players we had missing, we couldn’t expect any more than we got," commented captain Virginia Rennie afterwards. The defeat drops Warwick to fourth place in the table, still comfortably enough in the middle not to have to worry about relegation in this their first National League season.