Title Partner
Workington Comets
Team Manager: Tony Jackson |
48 | ||||||||
| 1. Nicolai Klindt | 1 | R | R | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2. Rasmus Jensen | 2 | 3 | 2* | 3 | 2* | 12 | 2 | ||
| 3. Ben Barker | 0 | 2 | 2* | 2 | 6 | 1 | |||
| 4. Rene Bach | 2 | R | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 5. Ty Proctor | 1* | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | |||
| 6. Kyle Bickley | 2* | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 7. Mason Campton | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | |
Edinburgh Monarchs
Team Manager: John Campbell |
42 | ||||||||
| 1. Ricky Wells | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2. Victor Palovaara | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 3. Josh Pickering | 1 | 2* | 2 | 3 | FD | 8 | 1 | ||
| 4. Richie Worrall | 3 | 3 | 1* | 1 | 2 | 10 | 1 | ||
| 5. Erik Riss | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2* | 8 | 1 | |||
| 6. William Lawson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 7. Joel Andersson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
Both teams gave their all in the hunt for vital league points in a highly entertaining encounter before the Staggs Bar Monarchs went down 48-42 to the Workington Comets tonight.
We got close enough, just two down going into the last heat, to believe we might have done even better but in truth the point was all we deserved. Our two Swedes had off-nights and we were whacked 12-2 at reserve, though on the other hand we gained out of a shocking performance by Comets' no. 1 Nikolai Klindt who never got his machinery working.
Over the first eight heats it was nip and tuck and we led after heat 1, heat 5 and heat 7, only to be pegged back each time. We had four of the first five race winners and the pairing of Josh Pickering and Richie Worrall was very effective with 9 points from their first two heats.
Amongst the early highlights Erik Riss had a great battle with Jensen in heat 6, passing round the outside early on but being taken on the final turn in the same manner.
In heat 8 we saw Joel really getting involved for the only time in the match, passing Jensen for second place several times before losing out in the end.
That was a 1-5 loss and so was heat 9, and we lost another 4-2 in heat 11 when Kyle Bickley added another good point (ahead of Victor) to the paid win he got in heat 2. The boy is coming on.
That allowed us to bring in Richie alongside Josh again as a tac sub in heat 12. This was a fantastic race which Ben Barker led till the last bend only for Josh to pull off one of his high, brave outside overtakes.
Ricky and Erik followed that up with a heat 13 5-1 and we were level, game on again!
Richie led heat 14 but Rene Bach caught him, so we went into the last heat 2 behind, Bach and Jensen against Wells and Pickering. We probably could have picked any two from four for our pair but after some tough moves it was the Comets who got in front. Josh tried a big outside move again, came down and we couldn't quibble with the decision to award a home 5-1.
Another night another huge meeting for the Staggs Bar Monarchs as we head southwest on Saturday to take on the Workington Comets at Derwent Park in SGB Championship action.
Of course this is the return fixture after the dismantling handed out to the Comets at Armadale on Friday night. A tough night was expected but in the end it was a non contest with the Monarchs romping to a 65-25 victory.
Any thoughts that this will make for an easy encounter in Cumbria will need to be forgotten quickly though as the Comets will be on the lookout for revenge and currently sport an unbeaten home record in the league and with time running out for them to get their meetings run before the playoff cut-off on the 14th of September it could be argues this match is even more important for the home men than it is for the Comets.
Adding to the Comets firepower this evening will be guest replacement Ben Barker who steps in for Dan Bewley and we all saw last Friday just how strong Ben can be as he almost single handedly put up some resistance for the visiting Glasgow team who were easily brushed aside on the night.
A further change to the make-up of the Comets sees Mason Campton and Rene Bach switch positions with Campton heading back to reserve although this is more down to the form shown by Bach rather than any under performance by the Aussie.
The rest of the line-up is as per normal with riders like Bach, Nikolai Klindt and Rasmus Jensen surely all determined to bounce back from their Armadale horror show.
For the Monarchs Derwent Park is a place that holds no real fears with Ricky Wells a former Workington number 1, Erik Riss having enjoyed many a good night with his spectacular style suited perfectly to the wide open spaces and a little bit of research shows that Richie has been paid for double figures in his last 3 visits there also. So while it looks like we should be well served in the heat leader positions the key battles could come in the lower reaches of the team. Victor and Joel will look to carry on their outstanding form with Joel admitting it is a track he liked after his last visit and Victor's sharp gating serves him well everywhere we go. AS always Josh will be an absolute joy to watch and he has admitted he feels he has a point to prove after he had a brutal meeting in the league cup although we all know these kind of things tend not to linger with Josh too much. Willie Lawson admits he hasn't ridden Derwent Park since 2010 but says it is a track he always enjoyed and with a bike and engine set up specifically for this meeting the hope will be that he can carry on his competitiveness from Friday night.
So all in all a cracking encounter is in store with both sides looking to secure the points that would go a long way towards a top 4 spot come seasons end. An away win for the Monarchs would really put the pressure on Glasgow, Ipswich and the Comets while a home win for the Comets will keep them on track for a playoff spot.
What more could you ask for for a nights entertainment? With a big Monarchs support expected in attendance to cheer on the boys and the weather playing ball it is sure to be a belter.
© Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway 2024
Bathgate Road
Armadale
EH48 2PD
