HOW DID WE LOSE THIS ONE?

NEWS Friday 7th October 2011, 11:35pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs brought a disappointing home Premier League programme to a very disappointing end, losing a 12-point advantage at heat 6 to go down 44-45, with crucial fallers in each of the last four races.

Of course we knew in advance that Newport were going well, but the truth is that to gain their first away victory against Monarchs in 47 years of trying, the Wasps did not have to excel.

Charlie Gjedde of course was one of the best ever visitors to Armadale, but for the most part their other riders just had to stay on their machines and accept the gifts they were being handed.

For Craig Cook, who won his first race, it was another nightmare night. Lifting at the starts, he lost 5-1s in heats 7 and 11, and with Kalle Katajisto fading after a bright start, and the reserves not doing much (though Tom Perry's enthusiasm impressed everyone), Monarchs were hanging on to a 2-point lead after heat 12 in which Kyle Howarth fell.

Kevin Wolbert did well to get ahead in heat 13 from gate 1, but overslid and fell on the pits bend. We were lucky to escape from this one with a 2-3 after Lanham had an engine failure.

In heat 14, Kyle Howarth and Matthew Wethers gated - and Kyle fell on the first bend. Matthew won the rerun to maintain the one-point lead.

In the last heat, we had Kevin and Andrew, with just one point dropped between them other than Kevin's fall. Gjedde of course was a formidable opponent, but it seemed all our riders had to do was stay on their bikes and share the race.

However Andrew became the latest to spin off on the first bend, and even though Aspegren almost fell on the next lap, he didn't. Gjedde held off Wolbert and we had incredibly gone down by a point.

There was some acceptable entertainment even though there had been a lot of rain during the week, but there's no denying the team is very lop-sided at the moment and the main men, Wolbert, Tully and Wethers can't afford a mistake or we are in trouble.

Well done to Newport, but they will ride better than this and not win.