Edinburgh Monarchs v Plymouth Devils

REPORT Friday 26th June 2015, 10:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

There was plenty to talk about after Armadale’s 500th senior meeting.

Firstly, the traffic on the M6 which prevented four visiting riders from getting to the stadium when they intended. It was agreed to delay till 8pm while presenter Scott Wilson filled in with interviews of some of the riders who have entertained over the years since 1997.

By the time the match did start, Kyle Newman and Jack Holder had arrived, but only later did Morten Risager and Ryan Fisher manage to make it, missing one and two rides respectively.

Nevertheless the whole evening was a lot more enjoyable than the previous week’s fare, even though the score finished up almost exactly the same.

For that many thanks to Jack Holder, surely the best first time performance around the trick since… maybe Nick Morris four years ago? Holder was great to watch, attacking the turns and locking up hard to drive down the straights. Opposition back wheels didn’t seem to worry him.

In fact the meeting opened with an excellent ride from Monarchs’ guest Nick Morris who came from last to second, capitalizing when Holder slightly over-locked on one bend. Morris went on to deliver spectacle as well as points on his way to a paid maximum.

Some of the other heats were uncompetitive but there was always the next Holder ride to look forward to. Heat 11 was very good because the otherwise dominant Craig Cook made an error which allowed Holder to go ahead, only for Cook to chase and eventually find the right line for a great cutback and overtake.

Neither Risager nor Fisher settled down quickly enough after their arrival to add much to the proceedings, though Kyle Newman deserved more for his efforts.

And we mustn’t forget the ever-developing Erik Riss who followed last week’s paid 17 with a full 6 ride paid maximum.

Full Result Details