THREE VERY GOOD POINTS!

NEWS Friday 20th July 2012, 11:17pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs made a very strong start tonight against Workington, and withstood the late challenge by the Comets, to take all three points in a 52-41 victory.

It was Workington's first defeat for three months (since Monarchs last beat them!) and once again Monarchs rode as a team, with Micky Dyer bravely taking 5 rides in spite of his injured foot.

The opening heats were all important. Cook and Sneddon won the first heat 5-1, and Micky Dyer justified his decision to ride by his heat 2 victory alone. He headed Kyle Howarth and Ashley Morris, two former Monarchs who rode very impressively in this match.

A tape touch by Rene Bach and a spectacular fall by Tero Aarnio (who flipped over the back and was lucky that Theo Pijper missed him) gifted Monarchs a heat 3 5-1, and when the same Pijper / Wethers pair scored another in heat 5 after Lawson and Ingalls had tangled, it seemed all over with the score at 21-9.

But Workington are not rated a good side for nothing. They started hitting the front from the tapes, and had the race winners in Rene Bach (6 points in heat 7), Kyle Howarth (heat 8) Adam Roynon (heat 9) by which time the gap was down to 7 points.

After a couple of disappointing rides, Derek Sneddon came good to win heat 10 from partner Cook who ran into big trouble during the race but still hung on for a paid win.

A lost 1-5 when Theo fell in heat 12 was nullified by Cook and Tully taking a heat 13 maximum, and there was a good win from the back for Matthew Wethers in heat 14, in which Micky Dyer was again in the thick of things before finishing pointless.

Adam Roynon led our top two home in the final race to complete a good meeting for him, and we were left feeling pleased with the three points against a very decent opposition side.

Full Result Details