Edinburgh Monarchs v Newcastle Diamonds

After five heats, Monarchs seemed on their way to another depressing defeat, but they turned things round and gained their first Premier Trophy victory.

It seemed to be Henrik Moller's heat 8 ride which made the difference. After two poor rides he had changed both his machinery and his kevlars (previously too tight) and he fought all the way to pull off a last lap pass of Ross Brady.

The whole team seemed lifted and in spite of an unfortunate 0-5 in heat 11, the win was secured by heat 14. Derek Sneddon took some important races and scored in every ride to total paid 13.

It can't be called a good performance overall, but there was more life in the side as it gradually dawned on them that they were on the slippery slope again.

The gating of the Monarchs over the first half of the match was staggeringly bad. Time and again the two Newcastle riders raced to the front.

Pepe Franc made the gate in the opening heat and although Ronnie Correy wasn't far away, the Czech seemed set for a win till he stopped on the final lap. That gifted Monarchs a 5-1.

It was almost levelled in heat 2. Sean Stoddart had no difficulty winning easily, but the slow-starting home reserves also had great difficulty overhauling the inexperienced Ashley Johnson. Only on the final bend did Derek Sneddon barge past into second place.

Danish newcomer Jonas Raun wasted no time getting to grips with Armadale and won heat 3. He was under strong pressure from William Lawson, until William shed a chain and fell on the final lap. The scores were now level.

Heat four saw Christian Henry and Sean Stoodart, never great gaters in Monarchs' colours, race ahead. Christian looked every inch a strong heat leader and was never in danger of losing, while Matthew tried hard to squeeze under Sean. He went in too tight to the first bend of lap three and fell, leaving the visitors to stroll to a maximum heat win.

Heat 5 was a battle for the lead between Brady and Lawson, with the former holding on by sticking to the dirt line. There seemed to be no grip on the inside line.

With Tessari trailing Franc we were now six down.

A strong start and first bend by Correy put him in command of heat 7, with Henry in second well clear of Moller.

Derek got himself into gear for heat 7, leading all the way, but Matthew was struggling again, languishing at the back when he unluckily hit some debris on the track and crashed.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Henrik looked like a new man in heat 8, chasing Ross Brady and passing him with a neat cutback and strong run down the back straight. It was the first really cheering moment for the team, now two down with Derek heading the previously unbeaten Sean Stoddart.

Henry beat Lawson in heat 9, but we got our noses in front in the next one via Correy and Moller who took a fairly easy 5-1 over Raun, while the unsteady Wilkinson fell twice during the heat.

Our troubles were not over though, because heat 11 was a disaster. Brady and Franc led the way, Brady stopped on the pits bend, Matthew passed Franc, and Andrew Tully crashed - the upshot of which was a rerun with Andrew excluded.

Whilst appreciating that Ross Brady was 'under power' - ie puttering along at 5mph - this rule needs some reconsideration and he was lucky to be in the rerun, in which Matthew fell again. He didn't seem aware that he could still have gained a point and it was a 0-5.

So Monarchs were three down again. Undaunted, William and Derek made the start in heat 12 and always looked like keeping Jonas Raun and Sean Stoddart behind them. The young Dane made a misguided attempt to come in tight on the first corner of lap three, then shot outwards and forced Derek into the fence. An insignificant altercation followed, but the 5-1 was awarded.

Derek was an absolute key man now, and he came into heat 13 to replace three-time faller Matthew. Correy won from Henry and Sneddon was good enough to keep Franc at the back.

Once again heat 14 was important and this time Monarchs, the bit between their teeth now, got it right. After his bright start Stoddart had faded, and Wilkinson never got to grips with the circuit, and Tessari and Sneddon easily took the match winning 5-1.

To close we had an excellent heat. Christian Henry led most of the way with Ronnie Correy edging up on him and even going ahead on lap three, only for Christian to come back round the outside and re-take the advantage. A marvellous four-lap battle and a win which confirmed the improvements Henry has made.

Moller had earned a heat 15 ride but finished behind Franc, so we finished just five ahead in a match which we should probably have won more easily, though after the awful first seven heats we were happy to settle for any win at all.