Title Partner
We thought we had a chance of winning, but everything went wrong at our bogey venue Newport.
Bike problems and other misfortunes must have cost us a dozen points at least, and it will be very hard to earn a bonus point out of this one. However as a pointer to KO Cup prospects, it can be discounted.
There were no complaints about losing a heat 1 5-1, the first sign that Henrik wasn't in for a good day.
Derek was well on the way to an easy heat 2 win though, enjoying himself and looking fast, when the hike started to splutter. He shook his head, and on the next bend the stuttering threw him off to concede a 5-1. Sean had been excluded at the first attempt for running into Parsons on the first bend.
Matthew had a battle with Tony Atkin for second spot in heat 3 which ended when Atkin drove hard under him and Matthew came down. So that was 15-3.
It got worse! Derek fell after hitting a rut in heat 4, Rusty laid down to avoid running over him - and the referee let it go! So that was 20-4 with inexperienced Billy Legg on 4 paid 6, all gifts.
Theo took a TR off gate one in heat 5 and won a good battle against the spectacular Wilkinson to score 6. Henrik was well back though.
We also gave Rusty a TR but his didn't pay off as he failed to beat an opponent. Matthew and William shared heat 7 with Watson ahead of Parsons, and the next misfortune was coming up.
Theo was a good bet to win heat 8 but - would you believe it - he was spluttering now, and incredibly Legg once again was the fortunate recipient of a paid win. Oh yes, Derek had stopped at the gate.
Heat 9 was a 4-2 loss as Rusty subdued Atkin, then we saw the best of William with a good heat 10 win over Collins and Schramm.
By heat 12 we decided to give William a TS chance, and he made a brave fist of it but just failed to pass Parsons who was riding well.
Heat 13, 5-1 against, then we had more misfortune in heat 14. William was ahead and sure to win when Derek's dreaful day ended with another fall. He was just too slow to clear the track, and as the race was stopped we noticed William had problems. He had to switch to Theo's bike for the rerun in which he missed the start, only earning a second place from the back.
It looked unlikely we would reach 30, but remarkably Theo and Rusty nipped out the gate to score a 5-1 over Collins and the previously unbeaten Watson.
Very much a day to forget and one we are unlikely to see repeated.
It's probably not the best preparation for our opening Premier League match of the season for it to be our fourth match in four days. However, there is the consolation for the riders that they have the chance to get together staying at the same hotel the night before and having a comparatively short journey to make after the match at Stoke.
We haven't enjoyed much success at Newport over the years but last year we suffered the heartbreak of losing out thanks to the Tactical Ride rule which saw Newport's guest, Elite League rider Chris Harris, scoring six points from a TR which consigned us to a one point defeat.
This year Newport have two former Berwick riders in their team in Carl Wilkinson and Chris Schramm. Wilkinson has gone from strength to strength since being brought into the Premier League by Berwick last year. He has produced some stunning performances for the Wasps and is one of the danger men in a Newport side which does not look to be one of the stronger teams in the league.
Newport's main man for many years now has been the class act of Craig Watson. Craig had a dreadful year last season and missed most of Newport's matches after suffering a bad injury. He has returned this season but has not been as dominant as before even round his home track. As a result the Wasps have looked vulnerable again round their own track although not nearly as vulnerable as last season where they could hardly produce a home win at all in the latter part of the season.
Riding at number one is former Monarchs favourite Neil Collins, the evergreen veteran who is still a joy to watch coming from the back - a place he often finds himself as a result of his indifferent gating. He partners Chris Schramm who is doing a good job for the Wasps at number two. Another veteran, Tony Atkin fills the number four spot partnering Carl Wilkinson. Tony's determination is legendary but his scoring has not been nearly as good this season as last.
At reserve Joel Parsons carries all the responsibility as Billy Legg has still to come to terms with Premier League racing.
From our point of view this is another track on which Rusty Harrison has excelled and he should be our main points scorer assuming he is fit and well following his chest infection and the rigours of the match at Stoke. Our chances will depend, as always, on how well we gate and how we adapt to what is often a dry, dusty and bumpy track.
Frankly we have often gone with high hopes to Newport and returned empty handed. If we can produce a result this time it could well act as a springboard for the team to move to the next level and launch an assault on the Premier League as we did last season till injuries took their toll.
Failing that the team must not let any Newport lead grow to the extent that the bonus becomes a major task later in the season.
© Edinburgh Monarchs Speedway 2024
Bathgate Road
Armadale
EH48 2PD
