RAIDERS new strength in depth is evident this weekend as they travel to seventh-placed Sutton & Epsom. Cameron Craine, Jason Batiste and Kenny Hellier are all unavailable from the squad who beat Dorking, but how about this trio for replacements Luke Skovrenek (for Craine), Luke Sayer (for Batiste) and Ned Brown (for Hellier).

Saturday’s hosts have won three of their five games so far, while Guernsey, with four wins, are third and level on points with the top two Hertford and Wimbledon.
Jordan Reynolds says the depth is welcome and with others set to return after the imminent ‘bye’ week, things are looking good and the biggest threat is an air of complacency, the sort of which was seen in the defeat at Shelford and for a period against Dorking.

What can we expect from Sutton & Epsom? As well as a tough game, our lads may come across all sorts in their lineup: a Bellringer, a Cook, a Caddy, a King and a Mason. And, like most teams, they have searched afar for talent. They have an Argentine centre and a Romanian prop.

Just to recall, last season we did not get to play Sutton & Epsom who spent a season out of the division but were promoted at the end of last term.

But a couple of years back our paths did cross and in one of those games Nick Barton set the record for the most individual tries by a Guernsey player at this level with six.

Full team to follow when released by the coach who has been absent on a course in the Uk all week but returned to the island on Thursday night.