Cook and Wolbert do battle Image Credit: Ron MacNeill

TOUGH MATCHES AHEAD

NEWS Wednesday 28th May 2014, 10:20am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Scotwaste Monarchs have three matches in four days this week, with the visitors to Armadale on Friday being the Glasgow Tigers.

Before then the team face a very tough match at Ipswich on Thursday, and they finish off the weekend with a visit to Newcastle on Sunday. Monarchs have won 13 in a row so far this season but it would be a tall order to keep that run going into next week. Captain Derek Sneddon says “From the team’s point of view, we will carry on taking each match as it comes. We’re not focussing on the record, just winning the next meeting.”

TEAMS FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH AT ARMADALE ON FRIDAY 30th MAY (start time 7.30, doors open 6.30) are:

SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Justin Sedgmen, Max Fricke, Derek Sneddon (capt.), Sam Masters, Aaron Fox, Steve Worrall.

GLASGOW TIGERS: Kevin Wolbert, rider replacement for Dimitri Berge, Rusty Harrison, Mark Lemon, Theo Pijper (capt.), Kasper Lykke, Anders Thomsen.

SEMI-FINAL NEXT WEEK: It has been agreed with Sheffield that the first leg of the League Cup semi-final will be at Armadale on Friday 6th June.

Although Monarchs are going well, obviously, it will be a long time before any awards are handed out, and the League Cup is going to be the first on the menu. So Monarchs will be looking for the biggest lead they can get to take to Sheffield on Thursday 19th June, the second leg. Winners will meet Peterborough or Workington.

Probably because the fixture for this date was not known, there is no sponsor for the meeting yet, nor indeed anyone booked for Hospitality, so there is an opportunity there for someone.

AUSSIES IN FRANCE: Riders like to keep busy, but not too many resort to going to France to compete! Having said that, it is an up-and-coming Speedway country.

After the disappointment of having Sam’s guest booking at Leicester rained off on Monday, Sam Masters and Justin Sedgmen headed south – a long way south, to Lamothe-Landerron where he rides in an annual individual event on Wednesday.

He will be up against the likes of Jason Doyle, the Kurtz brothers, Seb Tresarrieu, Rohan Tungate, David Bellego and former Monarch Tobias Busch. It is in Aquitaine, south-west France and apparently has a population of about 1,000!

NEWCASTLE SUNDAY: The League fixture at Newcastle (actually there are two scheduled this season) is always well attended by Monarchs’ fans so there is sure to be a big travelling support heading down the A1 for the 6:30 start.

MEETING SPONSORSWe will be delighted to welcome Keyline Broxburn as meeting sponsors for the visit of the Tigers on Friday.

Unusually it’s their first visit of the season, having postponed a previous scheduled visit.

TIGERS KNOW THEIR WAY ROUND: If there is one track which Glasgow are well equipped to ride then it is Armadale, with three former Edinburgh no. 1’s in their ranks – Kevin Wolbert, Theo Pijper and Rusty Harrison.

With their exciting Danish reserves the Tigers are fairly well placed to cover for the absence of French rider Dimitri Bergé, who while he is doing well, has certainly not found Armadale easy on previous visits.

Mark Lemon has also shown improved form after a tough start to the season, so the match could be a tougher one than league positions might suggest.

LAST MEETING: The Scotwaste Monarchs beat Newcastle Diamonds 57-38, with Craig Cook scoring 13+1 and Max Fricke 10+1. Aaron Fox won the DDS Monarch of the Match award for his courageous performance a week after suffering a severe leg gash.

NEXT MEETING: As explained earlier Sheffield will be at Armadale on Friday 6th June for the first leg of the League Cup semi-final.