Edinburgh Monarchs v Kings Lynn Stars

The visit of King's Lynn plus some good weather was a promising prospect - and we were not disappointed.

The Stars might not be enjoying their best spell right now but they impressed in this match with their willingness to fight on when they seemed to be beaten.

The Scotwaste Monarchs were solid once again with Lawson outstanding and everyone else chipping in with good scores, while King's Lynn's scoring came mainly from Topinka and (eventually) Shane Parker.

Tacey and Harrison picked up points without being consistently good, but reserves John Oliver and Kozza Smith did impress with their efforts.

Oliver gated well and Smith was very entertaining as well as stylish, deserving more than his single point.

What a strong start Monarchs made. Lawson led heat 1 with Parker trying to challenge him while fighting off Andrew Tully. Tully was hitting the inside line leaving the turns and remarkably it proved to be too much for Parker who couldn't hold him off.

Summers went to the front round the first turn in heat 2 with another of his excellent outside runs, and Tully again moved through on the inside to join him. Although they held the 5-1 position throughout the race they couldn't relax due to the attentions of Kozza Smith right on their tail.

Topinka comfortably won heat 3 and looked very stylish and fast, belying his current 7.71 average. Derek Sneddon and Ryan Fisher comfortably shared the heat.

Heat 4 was a 4-2 with Wethers winning from Harrison, and when Sneddon and Fisher took a relatively easy 5-1 from Parker in heat 5 we were 22-8 ahead.

We could then have used Fisher as r/r to try to build up the biggest advantage before the tacticals arrived, but we chose Aaron Summers who couldn't manage to pick up a point, much to his disappointment.

Topinka took a TR in heat 7 and enjoyed a great battle with Matthew Wethers who passed him at one stage, only to be re-taken.

Matthew was the r/r in heat 8 and Shane Parker came in as TS. However it was Tacey who came to life after two pointless rides for the victory.

He won surprisingly easily but all eyes were on the rear of the field as Parker closed in on Wethers and Summers. The Monarchs were riding close making it difficult for Parker to find space, but it did seem on the final lap that he had eased inside Summers.

Aaron rode a great last bend though, angling on to a wider line, and he went back into third spot leaving the TS pointless.

Sneddon and Fisher were again sharp in taking a 5-1 over Harrison in heat 9. Fisher then took his r/r ride against Topinka and it looked as though that would pay off with the flying Lawson well ahead and Fisher clear in second.

However Topinka wore down Fisher and passed him off the final turn for a good second spot. The score was 40-23 and we were virtually home, but not before the Stars fought back over the next few heats.

Tacey and Parker took a pretty easy 5-1 over Wethers in heat 11, and we lost a 4-2 in the next as well as Topinka won again.

The gap was down to 11 and Stars needed three 5-1's - not all that likely. We didn't even think about that as we enjoyed a thrilling heat 13.

It was another Parker v Lawson classic. Parker led but Lawson was hitting the apex of the turns before racing down to the line, drawing almost level several times. He was through once but Parker came back. Parker dropped to the inside on turn 4 of lap three to block Lawson's move. Lawson tried the same thing on the last corner, Parker went wider - and Lawson caught him on the line.

What a heat and quite rightly Alex Harkess asked Parker to join Lawson on the victory lap.

Heat 14 was very interesting too for the first two laps and that was due to Kozza Smith who was putting in the boldest of outside challenges on Fisher and Tully. He slid off on the pits bend and that was that.

Parker finally got the better of the slow-starting Lawson in heat 15 to stop William's maximum, and that was the last act of a good match.

HERMISTON MONARCH OF THE MATCH: William Lawson.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Kings Lynn Stars

The Stars arrive at Armadale on Friday looking to build on an away win at Glasgow and draw at Workington but they don?t look anything like the powerhouse side they were last season.

The Monarchs took a point at the Norfolk Arena in their opening league match and were desperately unlucky not to take all three so the Stars will be keen to redress the balance. Their side seems to be less consistent this year though as that result and a home drubbing by Birmingham in the Premier Trophy would suggest. Throw in defeats at Rye House and Mildenhall last Saturday and Sunday and a 25 point defeat at Reading on Monday in the Knock Out Cup and the picture looks more like a middle of the table side than one challenging for honours.

However it would be a huge mistake to take them for granted. They have riders who, on their day, can cause any side real problems. Kevin Doolan is listed to ride at number 1 but, since Shane Parker was due to guest for him on Wednesday night, there may still be questions over his fitness. Kevin was injured in a match at Sheffield and has been riding less than 100% fit ever since. He aggravated his injuries at Rye House on Saturday and again on Monday so may not make the match. If not the Stars have a huge choice of top class guests on whom they can call; Shane Parker is just one example. Tomas Topinka is no stranger to Armadale and completes one of the best top two heatleaders in the league.

It?s the performances of the back up riders which are uninsurable. For example Rusty Harrison has some magnificent matches and some awful ones as has Shaun Tacey. Rusty can make some great overtakes when the track suits him but Shaun relies much more on making fast starts to score well.

The remaining three riders are less impressive. Simon Lambert has just recently moved out of the reserve berth into the main body of the team but has struggled recently after hitting some huge scores at home earlier in the season. His lack of experience at Armadale is not likely to help him pull out of his slump in form in this match. The two reserves are both Australians. John Oliver, a rider we once tried to sign, partners Kozza Smith at 6 and 7. John missed most of last season through injury. His only appearance at Armadale was in 2006 when he failed to score in three outings. Kozza has never been to Armadale so it may be at reserve that the Stars will struggle most.

Edinburgh are on a high after back to back wins at Berwick and Glasgow last weekend but will be missing Thomas Jonasson who will be riding in a qualifying World under 21 Championship meeting in Sweden so they will be using Rider Replacement instead. Matthew Wethers, Ryan Fisher, Andrew Tully and Aaron Summers are eligible to replace him. The pairings have changed for this match with William Lawson moving to number 1 and Rider Replacement operating at number 2. The Derek Sneddon/Ryan Fisher pairing moves to 3 and 4 while Matthew Wethers stays at number 5. The Monarchs should win this match despite the top end strength of Kevin Doolan (or guest) and Tomas Topinka but the real key to what sort of challenge the Stars are able to mount rests mainly with Rusty Harrison and Shaun Tacey. If they are kept subdued then a comfortable win is on the cards but, if not, then the whole team had better be on top form if the league points are to stay at Armadale.

Likely line-ups:

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

King?s Lynn: Kevin Doolan, Shaun Tacey, Tomas Topinka, Simon Lambert, Rusty Harrison, John Oliver, Kozza Smith.

May the better team win.