Scottish Open 2014

Tall, short, young and old are invited to Armadale this Friday – and that's just the riders! Yes, it's time to pick a winner from a highly competitive field of Premier League stars assembled for the prestigious Harrison's Scottish Open Championship at the Scotwaste Arena.

Wearing No.1 will be Jason Garrity who made a lasting impression on his previous visit with Rye House when it looked as though he had thoughts of taking over the mantle of James Grieves in the eyes of Monarchs fans. The lively Rocket from Manchester must certainly be considered a very serious challenger.

No.2, Sam Masters couldn't have chosen a better time to show he is really getting to grips with an unfamiliar size of track with his first Armadale paid maximum in last Friday's demolition of Berwick. The eternal ray of sunshine from Newcastle in New South Wales is without doubt another potential winner.

The No.3 race jacket will be worn by another highly popular and talented Australian star, Josh Grajczonek from Townsville in Queensland who rode as a Glasgow Tiger for his first four seasons but is now a heat leader with Workington Comets. It's becoming repetitive - definitely a strong contender!

Australia is represented yet again at No.4 where Max Fricke from Mansfield in Victoria gets the chance to show his teammates that he can be a match for anyone. The 18-year-old rapidly rising star has gone from reserve to third in the Monarchs averages on 7.36 in only a season and a half!

There's been no rider declared for the No.5 race jacket yet, so in the best traditions of old-time speedway promotion, could it be 'The Masked Marauder' or maybe 'The Shadow'. Make a wish for your favourite rider and, who knows, it might come true! There's only a few hundred possibilities to choose from.

Slotting in at No.6 is my favourite, your favourite, the reigning Scottish Open Champion, Craig Cook. The Monarchs No.1 and Belle Vue Aces captain from Whitehaven in Cumbria has impressed just about everyone in UK speedway apart from perhaps the new manager of the Great Britain World Cup side.

It's back to the Australian theme at No.7 where Craig's regular riding partner (wouldn't you just love that job?) Justin Sedgmen from Mildura in Victoria will be hoping to spoil a few other riders' nights. He was perhaps a slightly surprising choice as a Monarch but he continues to steadily improve on his starting average.

Lining up at No.8 is one of the most improved riders around the shale of the Scotwaste Arena this season, Aaron Fox from Riverside in California. With all the home crowd willing him on, he has begun to show increasing signs that he is a really tough little racer when he gets out of the starts and into the mix.

Returning at No. 9 to the stadium where he has enjoyed his best times in speedway is former Monarchs captain, No.1 and track record holder, Theo Pijper from Dokkum in The Netherlands. He may now be a Glasgow Tiger but he can be forgiven for that since he remains one of the most welcome faces around Armadale.

And speaking of welcome faces, No.10 will be worn by someone who perhaps even out-smiles Sam Masters, Jozsef Tabaka from Debrecen in Hungary. Still very much in Monarchs' future plans, the fearless entertainer, now married, is making his first appearance since that terrible crash at the end of 2013.

At No.11 it's another very welcome return to the track he used to dominate for the rider who at times was reminiscent of Frede Schott, Kevin Wolbert from the picturesque small town of Crivitz in Northern Germany. If the current Glasgow Tiger gets off to a good start, he could be yet another very serious challenger.

The masters of Armadale just keep on coming and at No.12 is a recent very impressive visitor with his hard, fast riding style, Ulrich Ostergaard from Odense in Denmark. The Peterborough Panther has accumulated tons of Elite League experience and is without doubt one of the top riders at Premier League level.

How many hugely impressive former Monarchs can you fit into one meeting? Hoping it's not unlucky for him to be wearing No. 13 is Aaron 'Spud' Summers from Adelaide in Australia. Now enjoying life at Redcar, if he's superstitious, perhaps the management could change his number to 12A, as the housebuilders do!

Monarchs biggest improver and one of the Premier League's biggest improvers, Stevie Worrall from St Helens (my favourite rugby league team) lines up at No.14. Monarchs have had some amazing secret weapons at reserve over the years, but few could come close to the meteoric rise of the unassuming speedway twin.

The penultimate name on the sheet this week is the only Scot in the Scottish Open, captain fantastic Derek Sneddon from up the road in Falkirk where the Romans built the Antonine Wall but couldn't keep him out! One of the most popular Monarchs of the last decade, the only thing he lacks is consistency.

Last but by no means least is one of the real nice guys of British speedway with a terrific riding style, Stuart Robson from Sunderland. He rides for the Geordies these days where he first started out but, in between times as a Diamond, he has starred for both Coventry and Lakeside in a fantastic 20-year-career.

So that's the runners and riders in one of the most evenly matched fields for the Jack Young Memorial Trophy. Have you picked your winner yet? I'll tell you one thing, if the engraver is paid by the letter he'll be hoping the winner is Ulrich Ostergaard or Joshua Lee Grajczonek.

With so many to choose from, I think I'll go for The Masked Marauder. Which of us will be right? Make sure you're there in plenty of time for tapes up at the earlier time of 7.15.

THE LINEUP FOR THE 2014 HARRISON’S SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP is:

JASON GARRITY (Rye House & England), SAM MASTERS (Edinburgh & Australia), JOSH GRAJCZONEK (Workington & Australia), MAX FRICKE (Edinburgh & Australia), A N Other, CRAIG COOK (Edinburgh & England), JUSTIN SEDGMEN (Edinburgh & Australia), AARON FOX (Edinburgh & USA), THEO PIJPER (Glasgow & Holland), JOZSEF TABAKA (Hungary), KEVIN WOLBERT (Glasgow & Germany), ULRICH OSTERGAARD (Peterborough & Denmark), AARON SUMMERS (Redcar & Australia), STEVE WORRALL (Edinburgh & England), DEREK SNEDDON (Edinburgh & Scotland), STUART ROBSON (Newcastle & England).