BACK TO LEAGUE BUSINESS AGAINST ROCKETS

NEWS Tuesday 27th July 2010, 8:43pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The major target for any team is to win their league so the Scotwaste Monarchs will be pleased to get back to the main business when the Rye House provide the opposition at Armadale this Friday (7.30pm).

Monarchs will be without their Finnish starlet Kalle Katajisto due to the foot injury sustained at Glasgow on Sunday, but for Friday they have Josef Franc standing in ? appropriate in view of his great victory last Friday. Rockets are at full strength with super Swede Linus Sundstrom at no. 1 and a new reserve in Paul Starke, signed from Plymouth.

TEAMS FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH AT ARMADALE ON FRIDAY 30h JULY (start time 7.30, doors open 6.30) are:

SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Ryan Fisher, Tobias Busch, Kevin Wolbert, Matthew Wethers, Andrew Tully, Cal McDade, Josef Franc (guest).

RYE HOUSE SILVER SKI ROCKETS: Linus Sundstrom, Kyle Hughes, Chris Neath, Stefan Ekberg, Jordan Frampton, Paul Starke, Robbie Kessler.

KALLE'S FOOT: Fears that Kalle Katajisto had broken his foot thankfully proved unfounded but the Finnish teenager will have to take a short break from racing.

He has returned home for a rest and so will have ridden his last match in what has been a very profitable spell at reserve.

It is hoped that the foot will have healed sufficiently to allow him to return for the home leg of the cup tie against King's Lynn on Friday 6th August.

CUP QUARTER FINAL: Monarchs travel to King's Lynn on Wednesday for the first leg of the KO Cup quarter final.

Guest reserve standing in for Kalle Katajisto will be Carl Wilkinson. Monarchs will otherwise be at full strength.

King's Lynn have their no. 1 Kevin Doolan out injured and their replacement will be Chris Schramm.

PREMIER LEAGUE: Monarchs still lead the league and in fact there haven't been many matches recently. Current position is ? Edinburgh 41 pts (14 matches), Birmingham 33 (18), Newcastle 31 (15), Rye House 30 (16), King's Lynn 26 (13).

IVAN MAUGER AT ARMADALE: Six times World Individual Champion Ivan Mauger will be at Armadale on Friday.

He recently launched his autobiography and will be selling and signing copies as well as watching the match from the George Hunter Memorial Lounge in company with supporters who have purchased Hospitality tickets.

ROCKETS GOING WELL: Just because Monarchs have had two brilliant victories at Rye House this season, in Cup and League, it should not be thought that the Rockets are not a good side.

They are, and they are known to favour Armadale. They were semi-finalists in the Premier Trophy this season and have won two away league matches to balance up their home loss to Monarchs, so they are well placed and definitely potential Playoff candidates.

Linus Sundstrom is probably the most impressive visitor to Armadale this season ? he won four races and fell in the other when Rockets were up in the Cup.

Jordan Frampton is another high-flying young rider, and experienced skipper Chris Neath is nowadays an Armadale specialist.

PREMIER FOURS: This event takes place at Peterborough on 15th August. The groups are:

GROUP 1: Newcastle, Birmingham, Sheffield, Berwick

GROUP 2: Edinburgh, Rye House, Scunthorpe, Somerset

LAST MEETING: The Scottish Open Championship was deservedly won by Sheffield's Josef Franc who romped away with the final ahead of Oliver Allen and Andrew Tully.

NEXT MEETING: Pn Friday 6th August Monarchs will race against King's Lynn at Armadale in the second leg of the KO Cup quarter final.

Full Result Details