West Wales Preview

Bears looking to return to winning ways in Wales

Match Preview West Wales Raiders v Coventry Bears Stebonheath Park Sunday 

Coventry Bears will be making their way to Llanelli on Sunday to face bottom club West Wales Raiders on Sunday. This is a game the Bears can expect to win after suffering three losses in a row.

However, this trio of defeats pales into insignificance when compared to what is happening to the Raiders. Put simply, they have lost every game this season, are rock bottom of the league table with a pointsdeficit over 21 games of 1552.

The Raiders were one of the teams the Bears beat during their winning streak in July, putting 64 points against them on a warm Wednesday evening with just six being scored against the Bears.

Last weekend they lost 130-0 at home to York, once again setting an unenviable record.

The Bears have had it tough since joining League 1, but have thankfully been spared this sort of humiliation.

It is not easy playing a sport away from where the main pool of talent is located, but both sides are looking to the future and to developing local talent, with the Bears already some way down that path. And the set up at Stebonheath Park, with a tidy ground and clubhouse which they own, is a good foundation for the future once this nightmare season is over.

Tom Tsang will be taking nothing for granted, but for once the Bears really are firm favourites to come away with a win.   

Bears 19 man squad has been announced and a number of players return to considabley strengthen the squad: 

1. Dante Morley-samuels

2. Hayden Freeman

3. Jason Bass

4. Kam Pearce Paul

5 .Reece Rance

6. Paul Emmanuelli

7. Ben Stead

8. Chris Vitalini

9. Liam Rice Wilson

10. Pete Ryan

11. Kieran Sherratt

12. Chris Barratt

13. Ben Gray

14. Zak Williams

15. Dan Gover

16. Mal Lloyd Jones

17. Ash Bateman

18. James Geurtjens

19. Cam Stewart