Workington Comets v Edinburgh Monarchs

It might have been out first defeat, but a 3-point loss at Workington was a very good performance and a better result for us than the Comets.

It would be wrong to say we were unlucky to lose, but it doesn?t take too much imagination to see that we could have won.

We were fortunate to get a heat 12 8-1, but the luck balanced out due to our lost chains ? Aaron Summers when on a 5-1 with Matthew in heat 4, and Ryan Fisher when he had got the better of an exciting battle with Stoney in heat 15.

It was cold when we arrived at Derwent Park, and after heat 5 we had quite a heavy hailstorm, followed by rain. Nevertheless with some track work the surface seemed to be quite rideable thereafter.

Comets opened with a 4-2 and there was a fall for Ryan who made contact with Smith?s back wheel on the last lap. Joe Haines looked good winning heat 2 in a fast time but our lads shared it, and we had a fine win from Derek Sneddon to applaud in heat 3. He led Stonehewer all the way and never made a mistake.

The newly shaped track was looking like a gaters? paradise but we were working well round the first turn, and hopes were raised further as Summers and Wethers led Nieminen in heat 4 and looked set for a 5-1. Infuriatingly, Aaron shed a chain on the second bend of the last lap with a maximum in the bag.

Ryan made a better start in heat 5 and we shared it behind Stoney, a heat that was followed by a heavy hailstorm.

It was easy to imagine that this might have ended the match, but out came the tractors and a few races later the shiny surface had been transformed into an acceptable looking track. About half an hour after heat 5, heat 6 started and resulted in a home 4-2.

Nieminen won heat 7 but Joe Haines fell in third place. William?s gating was not good so far and he got a lucky point here.

Derek showed him how by taking his second victory in heat 8, another shared heat. We were four down and would have been level but for Aaron?s chain loss.

Not so good in heat 9 though ? Charles Wright led from Matthew with Stoney third. As Matthew tried to find a passing line on the leader, he was obviously coming under threat from the rear, and on the final lap a Stoney cutback did the trick and got the Comets? fans roaring with a 5-1.

Nermark won heat 10 of course, but we shared that. Fisher and Nieminen rode level into the first corner of heat 11 with Derek just outside him, and Derek was the victim of his own attempt to match the riders inside him. He swung wide and finished at the back, as Nieminen got the better of Fisher to stretch the gap to 10.

TR time and though he hadn?t done anything much to this point, it was given to William in heat 12.

It worked out, largely because Stonehewer stopped after a few yards in a shower of sparks. Andrew Tully led and William took a couple of laps to get the better of John Branney. Once he had taken over second place, Andrew was able to look back and slow to let William take the six points, to cries of ?cheats? from some woman behind me.

So suddenly in a match which was slipping away a bit, we were only 3 behind!

Heat 13 didn?t look easy but although Nermark won again, Fisher and Wethers comfortably kept Nieminen in fourth place.

Next we had William making a start at last to lead heat 14 while Andrew pushed hard on Wright. He was very close to passing a few times but didn?t do anything daft and took the point, leaving us just one down going into the last heat.

With Nermark in it, victory was never likely even though Matthew did edge ahead for a moment down the back straight. Nermark took over and we had an excellent battle between Stonehewer and Fisher, with Ryan twice cutting back to pass Stoney and seeming to have earned third when he lost a chain on the last lap.

These damn chains. But we had done the job we really came to do, keeping scores close, and now seem almost certain to reach the Premier Trophy semi finals.

Workington Comets v Edinburgh Monarchs

Four successive wins in the Premier Trophy have left the Monarchs in pole position in the section but tonight?s match at Workington will go a long way to deciding what they will still have left to do (if anything!).

Workington have ridden all three of their away matches with just a win at Berwick to show for their travels while the Monarchs have ridden all three of their home matches without dropping a point and matched the Comets with a win at Berwick. Berwick have finished their matches and cannot top the group while Glasgow are likely to have to beat Edinburgh at home and Workington away, the latter by a huge margin, to have any chance. The Tigers probably have too much to do and can really be discounted.

It remains a clear fight between Edinburgh and Workington for the top spot. If Edinburgh lose their two remaining away matches and Workington win their two remaining home matches it will all come down to points difference. In these circumstances the Monarchs currently have a massive advantage.

Having won by 6 points at Berwick, by 22 points against the Bandits at Armadale, by 19 points at home to Workington and by 21 points against Glasgow at home last night, the Monarchs have a points difference of +68. By contrast Workington won by 2 points at Berwick and beat the Bandits by 13 points at Derwent Park. They lost at Glasgow by four points and at Edinburgh by 19 points so have a points difference of -8.

So somehow the Comets would have to claw back a difference of 76 points over their two home matches to get on level terms leaving Edinburgh knowing exactly what was required on their visit to Ashfield in the last match in the section. Their best chance to reduce the gap is in tonight?s match against the Monarchs at Workington because every point advantage Workington gain is one Edinburgh lose - a double whammy.

What then would be a good result for the Monarchs? A home win in the region of ten points would cut the gap to 56 points surely too much to recover from the Comets? match against Glasgow and Edinburgh?s visit to Ashfield. A twenty point win for Workington would cut the gap to 36 points and still leave the Comets with little, but some, hope.

Of course all this becomes academic if Edinburgh take anything from Workington or from their visit to Glasgow on the 27th April. In speedway, however you never know!

So how is tonight?s match likely to unfold? Workington has not been much of a happy hunting ground for the Monarchs in recent times and it?s likely that Edinburgh?s six match winning run will come to a halt. The main problem the Comets have is the poor scoring of the tail and that?s where Edinburgh need to ensure that ?silly? points are not dropped. Daniel Nermark, Carl Stonehewer and Kauko Nieminen is a heat leader trio unsurpassed in the Premier League. It does leave the Comets in a vulnerable position, though, if any of them hits problems during a match because they rely so heavily on them all punching their full weight.

The bottom four of their side, Scott Smith, Charles Wright, Jon Branney and Joe Haines have so far been disappointing although Joe Haines, their rookie reserve, is showing signs of developing into an excellent rider. Both he and Charles Wright will have had a massive boost by qualifying in first and third spot respectively for the British under-21 Final at Lakeside from the qualifying round held at King?s Lynn on Wednesday night so cannot be underestimated. Scott Smith and Jon Branney will need to up their scoring though if the Comets are to turn into the force many thought they would be. With last week?s match being postponed, the Comets have only had the one home match (against Berwick) in the competition so have not had a lot of track time to get used to their newly shaped track. Edinburgh could have an advantage there.

The Monarchs will again be without Thomas Jonasson but his seven point assessed average means that there is no restriction as to who can take the rider replacement rides. With the Edinburgh team on a high and riding with the confidence that a string of victories brings they have no reason to fear this match. Any score around the 40 point mark or better should be more than enough to leave the Comets with too much to do and with the Monarchs little to do in the final section match at Glasgow.

One thing seems certain and this is that the steel and resolve of this Monarchs side will be tested more than in previous matches. Here?s hoping for a great match and an injury-free one.

Likely line-ups of the two teams:

Workington: Daniel Nermark, Scott Smith, Carl Stonehewer, Charles Wright, Kauko Nieminen, Jon Branney, Joe Haines.

Edinburgh: Ryan Fisher, Derek Sneddon, Thomas Jonasson (Rider Replacement), William Lawson, Matthew Wethers, Aaron Summers, Andrew Tully.