(18/09/2001)
The Warwick Riga Men's First team opens their National League Division One account on Saturday with the intriguing visit of last year's Champions, Malory. The 6.00pm match at the St. Nicholas Park Leisure Centre, Warwick, will be an early and substantial test of whether Riga's growing stature in the top flight is set to blossom further.
The side finished a record-breaking fourth last season and retained the EVA Shield with victory over Liverpool in the National Finals in Sheffield. April also saw them hold on to their Jersey Open title. July found them posting their best-ever finish at the Whitefield tournament with third place. Finally, victory in the top division of the Ertvelde tournament in Belgium last month has continued an outstanding run of success. "I said at the start of last season that we've got the ability and potential to be a top four team," reminds skipper Tom Young, "and I've been proved right. The aim this season is fourth again, possibly pinch third and a good Cup run."
The early season visit of the Champions will certainly test that out but other factors also come into play. Polonia and Portsmouth, the two teams above Warwick last term, have both suffered the loss of key players. Whilst both sides will still be forces to be reckoned with, over a long hard season that weakness could prove fatal to their ambitions.
Riga on the other hand have strengthened their line-up. The addition of Colin Patterson, lately of Whitefield but also of Birmingham, adds an intelligent, quick and dangerous outside hitter to the squad. In Mark Bottomley, Warwick has acquired additional strength in the middle and with Graham Duckett returning to full power after his ankle injury, competition for places will be intense. "Although we can't boast the international packed line-up of Malory, we've now got depth in the squad," notes Young. "Our coach has said he doesn't want bench players. That means everyone's going to be involved and anyone in the starting six will have to keep on the top of their form if they want to stay there."
But for every silver lining, there is a cloud and that has been the injury to setter Phil Wyles. The England Junior had received a call-up to the full squad but some after-hours tomfoolery resulted in the breaking of two bones in his foot and two months out of action. Whilst the good news is that he has now restarted training, the Malory match is probably too soon for him to make a full comeback. In the meantime, the revelation in the setting role has been Mark Fearn. He was outstanding during the Whitefield tournament and even a fit Wyles will not find it easy to recapture his place.
So what of Malory? The Londoners have rarely been troubled in recent seasons whilst retaining the League Championship and the Cup. Their perennial trophy haul was challenged last term when Portsmouth emerged as prime contenders to topple the international-rich side. However they floundered their League hopes with defeats in easy games and although they removed Malory from the Cup, Portsmouth failed to land any silverware as local rivals Wessex pipped them in a glorious final. Portsmouth's threat has been weakened by the defection of Morph Bowes to the Champions, although Malory themselves have lost the services of the highly talented Danny Weemes who has returned to Wessex.
Malory must enter the match as favourites but Riga have their tails up. "At Whitefield we played them first match and were close to winning it," claims Young. "Early season, players not fully acclimatised to indoors from a summer on the beach. Who knows, this could be our chance to nick something special!"