Hard Fought Draw Takes Us Top Of The League

REPORT Sunday 14th May 2017, 8:52pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Parsons Peebles Monarchs fought back from 8 down before conceding a heat 15 5-1 in earning a well deserved draw at Newcastle this evening.

Star of the show for the Monarchs was undoubtedly Max Clegg. Max recording an outstanding 14 point haul from reserve with some lightning gating and determined riding on show.

Monarchs co-promoter Alex Harkess was fulsome in his praise after the match commenting ‘Full marks to Max he believed in himself, he went out to win races and he did. He was making starts and without a doubt he was the star man.’

Harkess was happy with his teams efforts having watched them battle back from 8 down midway through the match to lead going into heat 15. A diamonds 5-1 meant the spoils were shared but Harkess could not fault his team’s efforts saying ‘It’s strange that it is a draw and we are possibly disappointed with the draw but only due to the situation we were in. Being 8 points down early on a draw would have been more than acceptable but that’s the way it goes. We then got ourselves into a wining position and it was a shame we didn’t get that win but a draw is more than ok.’

The Monarchs made the worst possible start as home men Ashley Morris and Robert Lambert flew from the tapes to take a 5-1 in the opening heat with further advantages for the Diamonds in heats 3,5 and 6 putting them 8 up at this stage.

A warm and sunny day in the north east of England meant that the track was slick and dusty and gating was at a premium particularly early in proceedings. The Monarchs appeared to be capable of matching their counterparts out of the start but time and again were outfoxed in the first and second bend.

The tide started to turn from heat 9 onwards though as the Monarchs found their groove with Clegg instrumental throughout. The comeback started in this race as the Monarchs pair rocketed from the gate and while Sam Masters was eventually pipped by Ludvig Lindgren as he tried to shepherd his younger partner round Max had done enough and a 4-2 started the ball rolling as the Monarchs looked to come back into the match.

Better things were to come in the next race as the Riss brothers rocketed from the tapes to record a 5-1 over Morris and previously unbeaten Lambert and all of a sudden the deficit was only 2 points.

The scores were tied in heat 12 as Erik Riss repeated his trick from heat 10 taking a tapes to flag victory and with Clegg battling past Connor Coles into third the Monarchs had clawed it back.

The visitors then took the lead for the first time in heat 13 as Masters and Ricky Wells outfought their opponents going into the first bend and raced away on a 5-1. Steve Worrall came down while in third but the referee rightly awarded the race and the Armadale outfit were now 4 up.

The penultimate race was heat of the night as Ben Hopwood surprised everyone by making the gate of his life to lead. Clegg was right on his tail with home captain Ludvig Lindgren looking to get past the Monarchs man and level things up. Clegg was to have other ideas though as he found the dirt line on lap 3 blasting round Hopwood to take the chequered flag to the delight of a large travelling contingent.

The Monarchs could not make this stick in the last race though as Worrall and Lambert led from tapes to flag but on reflection a draw and 2 points that takes the Parsons Peebles Monarchs back top of the league as the quarter way mark of the season perhaps this will be viewed as a better result for the Monarchs than the home men.

Full Result Details