Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

Edinburgh Monarchs v Isle of Wight Islanders

REPORT Friday 26th May 2006, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Unusual conditions led to an unusual match against the Islanders, though Monarchs eventually pulled away to win comfortably.

It didn't look likely to be so easy early on. Isle of Wight provided 3 of the first 5 race winners and it wasn't until heat 6 that Monarchs took the lead. Thereafter all the race winners wore blue and gold.

It was a fine night for Rusty Harrison with a paid maximum, and as usual we were solid with everyone scoring at least five. The unpredictable Sean Stoddart bounced back after recent struggles with paid 8.

After heavy rain during the day the track was very heavy, requiring constant work by our fleet of tractors before and during the meeting.

Our first problem came in heat 1 as Theo slid into the fence on the first bend. That allowed Jason Doyle to win easly with Henrik hanging on to second though looking uncomfortable.

Heat 2 probably beat anyone who was trying the Monarchs' Golden Double, as Derek lost control on the pits turn to go to the back while Sean led all the way for a welcome win.

Jason Doyle took the first rider replacement ride for Marsh and won again, with the Pole Stojanowski tailed off.

Rusty Harrison was obviously on form again and flew to the front in heat 4. For a while Derek Sneddon held second but Jason Bunyan used the grippy outside well to pass him.

Chris Holder then won heat 5 and the score was 15-15.

Henrik was over-anxious in heat 6 and flew through the tapes. Sean Stoddart came in, and Theo this time won easily from Bunyan with Sean third to put us ahead.

The Islanders' middle pair was their Achilles heel and we took a 5-1 in heat 7. Stojanowski was second at one point but lost control on the pits bend, allowing Sean Stoddart to take a paid win.

It seemed we were through our bad patch as Derek and Theo led heat 8 - but Theo slid off on the pits bend! That left Derek to face the formidable Jason Doyle, but he led all the way.

At last William Lawson made a start, and he won heat 9 in the fastest time of the night.

Henrik and Theo took a 5-1 in heat 10 against the weak Islanders' pair without looking very convincing, and we grabbed another maximum advantage as Rusty again sat behind Derek (with Holder snapping at their heels) in heat 11. Doyle had been on a TR in this one but he fell on the first bend and was excluded. He seemed to injure a wrist and didn't ride again.

The third successive 5-1 seemed on the cards for heat 12 till Stojanowski fell. In the rerun Sean wasn't away well and this time couldn't overhaul Johnson.

There was another first bend crash in heat 13, Henrik locking up mid turn and the Islanders running into him. The decision to exclude Henrik seemed correct though there was some protest from Monarchs.

Rusty was chased all the way in the rerun by Holder, and Bunyan (on a TR) was so far back that he just doubled the third place point.

Heat 14 was quite interesting as Derek went from second to last, then back to third, finally just holding off Simmons as the Islanders' reserve tried to ride the grippy line.

Rusty completed his paid maximum in heat 15, again with Holder chasing hard on the grippy line and showing what a prospect he is.

HALMOND ENGINEERING MONARCH OF THE MATCH: Rusty Harrison.