Glasgow Tigers v Edinburgh Monarchs

REPORT Sunday 12th October 2008, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

It wasn't our best performance, but it was one of our most memorable, as we turned a 12-point deficit at heat 8 into a 2-point win in our final league match of the season.

The last heat 5-1 set off amazing scenes of celebration amongst the Monarchs' fans, dancing and cheering as the amazing team came round on their victory parade.

It certainly didn't look like a win in the early stages. Derek did make the gate inn heat 1 but William tumbled on the first corner and was excluded. At the next attempt Dicken gated and Parker moved under Sneddon on lap one for an easy 5-1.

Heat 2 - another easy home 5-1. Heat 3 - stopped the first time, then another win for Dicken as Fisher fell. We were 10 down already.

Matthew Wethers struggled last week but he raced off to beat Leverington in heat 4, with Aaron Summers again toiling at the rear.

Heat 5 and it was TR time already, Fisher coming in as rider replacement in the black and white. He could do no better than second behind Leverington as we took a 5-3.

Immediately it got worse again, Parker and Dicken holding off the hard challenging Matthew Wethers to put Tigers 12 ahead.

Leverington won again from Fisher and Tully in heat 7 and really we had done almost nothing right at this stage.

Matthew took the rider replacement in heat 8 and scored his second victory, but Aaron Summers was again last and we made no ground.

We needed to strike back now, and we did. Derek Sneddon at last got clear in heat 9, shepherded by Matthew, and that was at least a start.

We got a stroke of luck in heat 10, with Fisher heading Parker when Glasgow's no. 1 stopped, gifting a 4-2.

Leverington won heat 11 but Tully and Lawson shared it, keeping Andersen at the back, and heat 12 looked like a good chance to make further inroads.

Fisher did win comfortably but Sneddon, third at one point, lost a point through going too wide in a passing attempt.

Tigers gated on a 5-1 in heat 13, which would just about have finished things, but Wethers passed Leverington after which Trent fell in William's path. He was excluded, and in the rerun Matthew did even better to pass Parker on the inside of the bar bend for a win.

Now we were just four down. Derek gated in heat 14 but Andrew was at the back. He kept challenging though and eventually managed to slip inside Andersen to secure another 4-2.

Two down going in to the last heat. Leverington off gate 1, Wethers gate 2, Parker gate 3, Fisher gate 4.

Fisher made a scorcher from gate 4 and he was gone, while Wethers emerged from the middle of the Tigers to slip into second. With the Monarchs' fans roaring them on, Matthew held off Parker's strong challenge with his usual solid ride, and what a cheer awaited them as they crossed the line.

Derek was out quickly to jump on the back of Ryan's machine for a celebration lap, and fans of both sides found it hard to believe what they had just seen.

Full Result Details