Good start in heat 3 Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

LET’S DO IT ALL AGAIN!

NEWS Friday 30th August 2013, 11:40pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

After a night of extraordinary drama, and unfortunately one major crash, the Scotwaste Monarchs and the Somerset Rebels finished locked at 90-90 and will have to replay their Knockout Cup semi-final.

The crash occurred in heat 8 when Kyle Newman appeared to lose control in gate 3 and tangle up with Max Fricke, smashing into the fence at high speed. It appears that both riders have escaped serious injury for which we are very grateful. Max has back pain but x-rays have shown nothing broken.

As for the match, well how many twists and turns can you endure? How many times can you feel that Monarchs are going down, only for them to pull off another miracle?

They never had the aggregate lead in this tie, and were still six points behind on aggregate after heat 11 tonight. But they never gave up – they never do.

To go back to the early stages, things went very well for five heats. 4-2 advantages in heat 1, heat 2 (good point for the impressive Liam Carr) and heat 5, gave Monarchs a 6-point lead on the night, two down on aggregate.

We were on a 4-2 in heat 6, but Max Fricke spun off on the greasy surface and Craig Cook lost control momentarily – and suddenly it was a 2-4. Heat 7 was another 2-4, with Claus Vissing (who didn’t have a good night) splitting Grajczonek and Davies.

Then came that heat 8 pileup and the inevitable delay, and feelings turned to depression at that point.

Eventually the riders emerged for the rerun, with some cautiously encouraging news on the fallers. Liam Carr replaced Max, Lewis Rose replaced Newman. And what an amazing outcome!

Carr skipped round the outside to take the lead from experienced Charles Wright, and he rode a faultless race to win probably the most surprising Armadale heat of the season. With Derek Sneddon third we had extended the lead to four again.

Brilliant Nick Morris won heat 9, shared, but Cook and Sneddon took a 4-2 in heat 11 over Grajczonek and Davies. Two behind on aggregate again.

Doyle got a flier in heat 11 which was stopped, and Claus had a bike problem. He just made it for the restart, but incredibly he had a broken seat and lost a 5-1 as Doyle shepherded Wright home. Despondency in the home camp again.

Heat 12, Monarchs gated, Grajczonek skipped past Sneddon who then had a monumental battle to hold off Wright. Several times it seemed Derek had ridden out of position, every time he battled back to take the point. Theo was clear in front so we were four up on the night again.

We needed Craig to win heat 13, and he did, fighting round Doyle on the first corner. It was a first defeat for Morris too, but Claus couldn’t get near a point.

Heat 14, good old captain Sneddon gated again, but Tabaka made a nightmare start behind Davies and Wright. Super Joe though, what a turn back to pass both Rebels up the straight and slot in behind Derek! We’ve seen it before this season, these two work well together, and despite a massive effort from Wright, Jozsef covered Derek’s back and we got the vital 5-1! Level on aggregate now, the whole tie depended on heat 15.

How to pair the riders? The personnel were no problem, Doyle and Morris against Cook and Pijper. We went with Craig off gate two and hoped that Theo could get something off gate four.

Doyle made the gate, Morris was looking threatening and Craig wasn’t that well away. Nor was Theo. But Craig cut through the middle of the Rebels, and powered to the front down the back straight. And Theo was there too, under Doyle entering the third turn! For a moment the tie was ours.

Craig was away and gone, but Theo in spite of a huge ride, throwing the bike into the turns, could not stop Doyle coming back into third. 3-3, 49-41, 90-90. Hard to argue that it was a fair result, with both teams for sure thinking of numerous heats over the two legs when they might have done a little better.

Let’s do it all again.