Title Partner
At last we saw some Speedway at Armadale, and the team earned a well-deserved six point win over Glasgow.
The weather again did us no favours, a horrible morning and bright afternoon being followed by a horrible evening. Nevertheless the riders of both teams got on with the job until heavier rain brought the finish after heat 12, due according to referee Will Hunter to bad visibility.
Certainly the track held up very well, and everyone who has been working at the stadium during the week should be very proud of their efforts, stadium and circuit both being as good as possible for the opener.
After a delay till the doctor arrived, we were under way with heat 1 and a big win for Theo over Danny Bird. David McAllan stopped at the gate and Henrik Moller showed a decent style, not too far away from Bird. Theo looked very sharp indeed throughout.
Tigers looked likely to get the better of heat 2 as Cockle and Ksiezak led, but they were going rather slowly which caused everyone to bunch up - they went into the last lap virtually four abreast! Ksiezak squeezed ahead to win, Sean Stoddart fell entering the final turn, and Cockle shot across the turn and bowled over several boards.
Sean pushed home for the point with the ref ignoring Glasgow's suggestion that he should have put the red lights on and excluded him as well as Cockle.
Matt Wethers and William Lawson then romped away for a 5-1 in heat 3, and even better followed as Shane Parker floundered against Derek Sneddon and Rusty Harrison in heat 4. As he often has, Rusty sat unselfishly behind his partner to ensure the 5-1.
So Glasgow were using their first TR (Bird) at the earliest possible stage, and he was assisted in taking 6 points by a William Lawson engine failure. Matthew prevented a 1-8 by fighting his way past David McAllan in a good battle for second.
Interest in heat 6 was at the back, where Shane Parker languished for much of the race. Theo won easily, and Henrik tried to catch Robert Ksiezak before Parker got to him. He didn't quite manage it.
Rusty easily beat Tigers' middle pair in heat 7 but Sean gated badly and coulnd't really challenge.
We were strong in heat 8 and Theo plus Derek came up with the goods without difficulty.
That put us 9 up again, just in time for a Parker tactical ride. He won from the gate and again a 1-8 was on the cards until William Lawson passed Ksiezak. Matthew tried very hard to follow suit but missed out on third by a wheel.
Excitement in heat 10 as Moller made a gate for the first time and looked good out in front. He was gradually reeled in by Nieminen who made an impressive pass. Theo was hampered by a clutch problem in what should have been his easiest ride.
Rusty missed the start in heat 11 but passed McAllan, which closed the gap right up to just 2 points. However we stretched that again as Derek and Matthew sped clear of the opposition, and at that point the ref descended from his box.
Really heat 12 shouldn't simply be used as a convenient stopping point, but in this case the rain actually did get heavier at this point. The match was called off due to poor visibility rather than over any problems with the track.
HALMOND ENGINEERING MONARCH OF THE MATCH: Derek Sneddon.
The Glasgow team to face the Monarchs at Armadale on Friday has only two survivors from the side which finished the season for the Tigers last year. Gone are George Stancl, Trent Leverington, Claus Kristensen, Stefan Ekberg and Adam Roynon. In their places the Tigers have recruited Danny Bird, Kauko Nieminen, David McAllan Lee Dicken and Robert Ksiezak. Only Shane Parker and James Cockle have been retained.
The Monarchs have been through less of a metamorphosis with three changes to the team which finished the season. Gone are Daniel Nermark, Ross Brady and Robert Ksiezak; in come Henrik Moller, Derek Sneddon and Sean Stoddart.
So how do these changes affect the relative strengths of the two teams? Only time will tell but it's unlikely that anything will be very much clearer after just one match. Pre-season preparation has been badly hampered by the weather but Henrik Moller, Rusty Harrison and William Lawson at least have some competitive racing under their belts. Glasgow by contrast had a very successful first team outing at Berwick last Saturday night where two late 5-1s from the Danny Bird/Shane Parker pairing in heats 13 and 15 saw them scrape to victory by two points.
Apart from big-hitters Parker and Bird, the rest of the Tigers side all had their moments (apart from Lee Dicken). Robert Ksiezak won two races for the Glasgow side and will be a real danger man on Friday. Kauko Nieminen failed to beat an opponent until he popped out the gate for a race win in a crucial heat 14 and David McAllan, another with a lot of Armadale experience, won heat 8. Heat winners were not in short supply for the Tigers. They managed nine to Berwick's six and therein lies the big danger for the Monarchs.
Henrik Moller has a very tough introduction to the side at number 1. He has yet to ride the track yet faces Danny Bird and Shane Parker twice each in his four scheduled races. It would be unfair to expect too much in these circumstances so the rest of the side may have to dig deep to produce a win.
A lot will depend on how well Theo Pijper and Rusty Harrison can trade points with Bird and Parker. Yet again Glasgow have gone for the big top end this season but Danny Bird's performances at Armadale are no better than George Stancl's were.
With Moller and Pijper forming the top pairing, the middle pair of Wethers and Lawson is a bit of an unknown. If both can produce the sort of form that they hit towards the end of last season round the Dale then there should be no problem. Both are well capable of upping their averages by a fair bit this season. Glasgow's middle pairing of Dicken and Nieminen is equally uninsurable. Neither would rate Armadale their favourite track but they have had their moments in past seasons.
Which brings us to the reserves. If Robert Ksiezak slips into the groove quickly he could be a match winner for the Tigers but you never really know what to expect from James Cockle. Derek Sneddon will get the chance to make a real impact on the Premier League this year and here's hoping he starts on Friday. Sean Stoddart has a lot of quality experience for a Grade C reserve and this should be a big advantage.
Overall who will triumph? There are so many unknowns that it's difficult to call but it all adds up to a fascinating match and an opportunity for the Monarchs to blow off the cobwebs before facing Berwick on Saturday night then racing the return leg of the Spring Trophy at Ashfield on Sunday.
© Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway 2024
Bathgate Road
Armadale
EH48 2PD
