A team manager is barely required at the Pairs but we had one anyway Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

WE JUST MISS THE SEMI

NEWS Friday 24th August 2012, 11:47pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs pairing made a good showing in the Premier Pairs at Somerset, only missing a semi-final place in the last few yards of our final heat.

Both Andrew and Theo won races, and Andrew finished the meeting going as well as anyone. They defeated both Glasgow and Somerset 6-3 and needed to repeat this against Sheffield in heat 20 to go through, and knock out the home side in the process.

With Andrew miles in front Theo fought a duel with the Tigers' pair, looking for much of the race as though he might take second from Ricky Wells. But he was vulnerable to the outside charge of Richard Hall and just lost third on the line.

We had been the last pair to have our first outing, but pleased the Monarchs travellers right away against Glasgow. Theo cleverly picked his way past the Tigers to win, and in spite of a big mistake early on Andrew came from well back to pass Screen (and finish not far behind Grajczonek).

In heat 10 we were up against the impressive Scunthorpe. Auty won the heat with Tully in hot pursuit, and Pijper third most of the way but caught in the latter stages by Jorgensen.

We needed a good result against Somerset, and got it in style with Andrew a long way clear of Doyle and Theo beating Wright.

That gave us the chance, a good one, against struggling Sheffield, but in the end Monarchs' fans were happy with how their pairing had performed.

Workington (Roynon and Bach) won the event from Scunthorpe (Auty and Jorgensen) with Leicester and Somerset the beaten semi-finalists.