The Score Doesn't Tell The Story

REPORT Saturday 23rd July 2016, 1:23am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Border Roofing Monarchs eventually ran out winners in their home match against Scunthorpe by 49-40, a score which gives quite a false impression of what the match was like.

John Campbell said “It was a very tough match on a track affected by the weather, but although we were behind I felt if we kept it close enough we could win it over the last three heats.”

On a track yet again affected by very heavy rain which started about 5, several riders found it hard going and for much of the night it seemed the Scorpions might reverse the result from last Sunday.

They took the lead with a 5-0 in the opening race, when captain Sam Masters stopped while leading with ignition problems. Although Monarchs had pulled them back and led by a point after five races, Scunthorpe then struck again and led by 7 points after eight heats.

A home 5-1 in heat 9 gave Monarchs hope once more but the next three races were shared. So with three heats left Scunthorpe led 37-34, and we needed our top men to step up to the plate.

This they did, finishing with three 5-1s. Sam Masters and Kevin Wolbert were the men who counted in heats 13 and 15, while Ryan Fisher won a dramatic heat 14. In this one Max Clegg at last made a start and was backing Ryen, when Carl Wilkinson came a cropped. In the restart Fisher caught Michael Palm Toft coming out of the second bend with a brilliant wide sweep, while Clegg chased and pressed the Danish rider, finally catching him out of the last corner.

Max got the verdict for second by the narrowest of margins and that was just about enough to ensure victory, Monarchs leading 44-39 going in to the last race.

In the last race Matthew Wethers came a cropper after clashing with Sam Masters on the opening lap, and the eventual 5-1 meant that the luckless Scorpions finished pointless. After the two matches we have had with them, the fact that we took 6 points to Scunthorpe’s none seems extremely hard on tonight’s visitors.

Masters, Wolbert, Fisher and Erik Riss were all strong when it mattered and won ten heats between them. Mark Riss had his poorest match for us, struggling badly on a deeper than usual track, while the reserves picked up useful points.

Douglas, Wilkinson and Wethers all had falls for the visitors, for whom Palm Toft’s 14+1 was the top scorer.

Full Result Details