Sheffield Tigers v Edinburgh Monarchs

We completed our second 4-point away win in as many days at Sheffield in a match which was quite different to the day before.

The Birmingham track had looked a pleasure to ride, but at Sheffield where a stock car meeting had been held a few days earlier, the track was all too lively with numerous fallers during the night.

The home riders generally came off worst and we were as happy that our riders survived in one piece as that they took the victory.

The match started with another of these infamous Ashworth rushes through the tapes. He didn?t emerge for a 15 metre ride and Ryan Fisher strolled to victory with the Raj third behind Skidmore.

The home reserves too a maximum in heat 2 with Aaron challenging in the early stages.

Andrew Tully made his return in heat 3, and it seemed he was feeling the pressure. After being pulled back for jumping the start he then went through the tapes, and went off 15 metres.

Matthew smoothly won the heat, but Andrew fell trying to get to grips with the home pair of Parsons and Auty.

Summers went ahead in heat 4 but there was a spectacular incident, with Hall shooting from the inside into the fence on the pits turn. Kevin had to take avoiding action, hit Hall?s bike and came down as well.

Kevin came out for the rerun on Matthew?s bike which he took a lap or so to get the hang of. Then he made inroads on Mills and took his chance as Mills reared up.

Scores were now level, and stayed that way as Ryan headed Parsons and Auty in heat 5.

We might have lost ground in heat 6 but Skidmore stopped while in second place behind Auity, a gift of 3 points for us.

Heat 7 brought the worst incident of the night. Andrew Tully was into his stride now, and led from Smith who tried to push through on the inside. He didn?t make it and fell on the second bend, with the following Hall going right over the top of him.

This brought a long delay as Hall was treated. Smith seemed to be OK but Hall was out of the match with a shoulder injury.

Tully took the win in the rerun with Matthew third behind Mills and we were ahead.

Summers won heat 8 in style with Skidmore falling, and Rajkowski coming to life to [ass Chris Mills in exciting fashion for the 5-1. We now led by 6 and clearly had a chance with Hall gone.

However Kevin wasn?t looking all that quick back on his own bike, and he fell in heat 9 while behind Parsons and Auty. This home pair were going well and easily beat Bekker in the rerun.

However we quickly reversed that with Tully winning again in heat 10. Ashworth was at the back and Wethers passed Skidmore to restore our 6-point lead.

Fisher and Rajkowski were really flying as a pair now and swept to a maximum over the home reserves in heat 11, giving us a 10 point lead.

That allowed Sheffield to use a TR, taken by Parsons. However it looked good for us when Summers led, with Tully behind him and Parsons at the back. However Mills barged under Tully who fell, and was ruled out. The rerun went better for the home pair with Parsons taking the 6 and Summers second.

Our lead was down to 5 but Ryan and Kevin took control in the early stages of heat 13. Ricky Ashworth tried to come under our riders but lifted into Ryan and brought him off.

The Sheffield no. 1's poor night was over and we took a 5-1 in the rerun.

The exciting Auty won heat 14 but Matthew's second place ensured our victory. We were 7 points ahead and needed to at least share heat 15 to take 4 points.

It was a full-blooded race in which Fisher held off a powerful Auty challenge to complete a brilliant paid max, a very rare event at Sheffield by any visitor and certainly an Edinburgh one.

Matthew took the point and that was that - 8 away points in two days!