This is how racing looked tonight Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

ONE WIN AND ONE LOSS IN THE MUD

NEWS Friday 31st August 2012, 11:12pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

On what was one of the least enjoyable nights in 16 years of speedway at Armadale, the Scotwaste Monarchs won one and lost one but did at least manage to move into the all-important sixth Playoff qualifying place in the Premier League table.

The conditions were awful and it was basically mud racing. In the first match, the young Scunthorpe side were too much of a handful for a weakened Monarchs' team and controlled the match throughout, winning 54-39. The Scorpions had four riders in double figures and were not even concerned that guest rider Kevin Wolbert only managed four points.

Even in the dreadful conditions it was a pleasure to watch how Thomas Jorgensen, Ashley Birks, Josh Auty and Michael Palm Toft went about their business. If it is possible to sparkle in the mud, then that is what they did.

For Monarchs James Grieves did his usual sound job as guest with 10 points though Matthew Wethers was probably the home star. Our reserves were outscored 17-2 which was a fair reflection of the gap between the pairings; Marcel Helfer and Filip Sitera had no idea how to cope with the circuit.

We did improve in the latter stages and kept that going in the second match, a relatively easy 52-29 victory over Redcar. Monarchs were 26-10 ahead after 6 heats. The match was abandoned after heat 13 with conditions worsening and the curfew passed. No complaints were heard.

James Grieves, Theo Pijper and Andrew Tully were all double figure scorers, while the Bears had just three race winners – two for the inconsistent Matej Kus and one for Aaron Summers in a rerun heat 3.

Marcel Helfer improved enough to get a race win in heat 2 and score 6. Bears' no. 7 Jade Mudgway had the unlucky experience of stopping three times at the start of heats.

Conditions did not allow much good racing in either match really, though oddly enough there was a good heat to finish with as Kus and Tully battled to the finish in heat 13 of the second match.

The riders of all three teams deserve praise for their willingness to ride but it was not the kind of meeting anyone was hoping for.