Bears aiming to roar back to Betfred League 1 action

Well, it’s finally here. This Sunday the Coventry Bears finally return to Betfred League 1 action - 427 days since their last match - and head coach Rich Squires is in a confident mood.

Coincidentally, the Bears’ opponents for this first competitive match will be the same as that last game more than a year ago - Barrow Raiders. Whereas last year the Bears found themselves on the end of a 50-6 defeat in Cumbria, this Sunday the teams will square off behind closed doors at the Butts Park Arena.

It’s been a long and busy offseason for Squires and new player/coach Dave Scott, as they’ve overseen a return to training and made some exciting new signings to the playing squad, a number of whom feature in the first matchday squad of the season.

The Bears also come into the game off the back of two preseason friendlies - a 52-4 defeat away to Keighley Cougars at the end of April, followed by an excellent 28-22 win at London Skolars last weekend. Those matches have been vital in the Bears’ preparation for the new season.

“They were two very different games,” Squires told our official podcast - Bear Necessities - this week, “We had a very tough first half at Keighley - you could definitely tell they’d played three games before - we just got caught off-guard by how fluent they were. That game was our first test under the new rules and it was tough - it took us forty minutes to adjust to it. But, we had a solid second half against Keighley, which carried on into the game against Skolars.

“In that game game, you could tell there was a big difference in the ruck speed and around the contact. Everything Dave and I gave them before the game, they put into practice and it worked for them. We got what we needed to get out of both friendlies and we’ve come out fairly healthy, which is good.”

Squires and his troops couldn’t have asked for a tougher opening fixture; Barrow Raiders will be looking to make what would still count as an immediate return to the Championship this year, following their relegation in 2019.

The Cumbrian side are seen as favourites by many for the Betfred League 1 title this year. They also share some special links with the Bears; our club president Ron Banks originally hails from Barrow, while Ron’s Great Uncle - Crispin Carter - played for both Barrow and the first rugby league side in Coventry from 1910 to 1913, as we detailed a few months ago.

Squires is fully aware of what his side needs to do, not only this weekend, but also in this month’s remaining matches against West Wales Raiders, Rochdale Hornets, and London Skolars.

He said: “We need to start the season really solidly and give a good account of ourselves. Barrow have to travel a long way and they’ve had a long time off - I think their last pre-season game was three weeks ago, so they might be a little rusty as well. We’re coming off the back of two games, we’ve been able to rest some people, and we’ve got a bit of confidence going into it.”

Because of ongoing coronavirus restrictions, Sunday’s game will be played behind closed doors. But, it will be streamed via the RFL’s Our League service. Tickets for the stream cost £4.95 if ordered before matchday, and are free for Bears season ticket holders - the club will contact season tickets holders directly with access to the stream.

So, once again, it’s finally here! Come on Bears!

Squad versus Barrow Raiders

Sam Bowring

Will Budd

Jed Charlton

Dan Coates

Chris Cullimore

Jack Dawson

Josh Dunne

Hayden Freeman

Darius Hamilton

Nathan Hill

Brad Ho

Harry Kaufman

Ryan Langton

Jordan Paga

Reece rance

Peter Ryan

Dave Scott

Keiran Sherratt

Elliot Townsend

Liam Welham

Matty Welham