SUPERB WIN TAKES US UP THE TABLE

REPORT Thursday 9th August 2012, 11:02pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs pulled off one of their most remarkable victories when in spite of misfortunes befalling both reserves, we took a 47-43 win at Sheffield.

Jozsef Tabaka crashed out of the meeting in his second ride after losing a chain (what's up with chains these days?) and Marcel Helfer blew a motor on the last bend of heat 8 when comfortably on a 5-1 with Derek Sneddon.

The good news is that Jozsef is not badly hurt and should be OK to ride in our home matches tomorrow and Saturday.

Once again the amazing Craig Cook led the way with a 15 point maximum, on a track he isn't supposed to like. "I don't think I've scored more than about 2 there before!" he admitted, but they are all coming the same to him at the moment.

He showed no nerves in winning the last heat decider with Theo (3 wins) backing up in third just in case.

It was indeed a team performance once again and our away form has been transformed this week, the five points gained shooting us four places up the league - and with luck we would have had three points rather than one at Leicester and a fourth at Owlerton.

For the third away match running messers Cook and Sneddon opened up with a 5-1 and this is a great boost in any match.

Further advantages from Cook/Sneddon plus Pijper/Wethers kept us ahead till heat 5, but then disaster struck when Tabaka lost a chain while challenging Haines and he came down heavily.

He eventually rose but looked groggy and was ruled out of the match. We lost two successive 5-1s, then should have levelled with a maximum of our own in heat 8 but for that Helfer misfortune.

Andrew Tully just missed a heat 9 win with a great effort to pass Hall, but we did take an advantage from heat 10. It should have been a 5-1 but Wells caught Wethers on the last bend.

We certainly were not out of it. Cook won heat 11, then Pijper heat 12 with a point for Helfer to put us just 2 down.

Cook pulled off the pass of the night in heat 13, but there were bike problems for Tully here.

In heat 14 Marcel really earned his spurs. He swept round the field and with Matthew Wethers in his usual support role, we raced away from Hall to take the 5-1 to give us the lead.

With Cook in such a mood, there should have been no doubts but there are always nerves till he crosses the line. Brilliant show by all.

Full Result Details