Edinburgh Monarchs v Newcastle Diamonds

A gripper track produced a powerhouse display by the Scotwaste Monarchs who were far too strong for a Newcastle side which struggled to replace their two Danish riders.

The match will be remember primarily for the spectacle of watching Kalle Katajisto scorch around the track, equalling the track record in heat 4, and turning on the style in all of his rides. He dropped his only point in heat 1 when he had to pass Derek Sneddon to take second behind Mark Lemon.

Kevin Wolbert weighed in with a paid maximum, and both Ryan Fisher and Matthew Wethers were in good form.

It did look as though Mark Lemon would be a danger man, especially when he raced away with the first heat. He forced Fisher wide at the first corner and the home no. 1 just avoided another heat 1, bend 1 fall. Diamonds were on a 5-1 for a bit but both Katajisto and Fisher squeezed inside Sneddon.

Heat 2 was the first of Kalle's flying wins. Max Dilger seemed to struggle with the track and that meant Newcastle should have shared the heat, but they didn't because North bumped McKinna off on the pits bend!

Jason King gated in heat 3 but went across the corner, allowing Wethers and Wolbert to race through up the back straight. They only got as far as the next bend before Matthew stopped, so the heat was shared with Wolbert winning easily.

It was a tight first turn in heat 4 and unlucky Andrew on the outside came down hard, clattering the boards with his feet. He had quite a bit of treatment and made it back for the rerun.

This was Kalle's track record ride, a real flier, with Andrew fighting past McKinna and reeling in, but not catching, Lemon.

Second time out, the W's pairing got the 5-1 they should have the first time, with Jason King falling early on. We followed that up with another maximum, this time Ryan Fisher recording 54.7 - just 0.1 outside the record.

At 24-12 the match was only heading in one direction, though it swung back briefly in the next heat. King led from Tully, with Dilger looking much better and keeping Grajczonek at the rear for a while. However Andrew tried a switch of line on the first turn of lap three, lifted and fell.

By then Grajczonek was past Dilger and the heat was awarded as a Diamonds' 5-1.

Kalle and Matthew took a heat 8 5-1 after Derek Sneddon had just failed to come round the outside on the opening bend, and we followed up with another two maximum advantages.

In heat 9 Wethers and Wolbert prevented Lemon gaining anything from his TR, and one race later it was Fisher and Wolbert racing away from the Diamonds' pair.

Derek Sneddon took a TR in heat 11 which prompted the introduction of Katajisto, who won another heat in style. No respite for Tully though, stuck at the back, which meant Newcastle took a 5-3.

Wolbert made it five rides unbeaten with a heat 12 win over King. Dilger had slipped into second for a while and when North fell early on he gained another point.

Andrew Tully bowed out of heat 13 feeling the effects of his falls, but it certainly didn't weaken us as Kalle romped away again for a win backed by Fisher. That was Kalle's seventh ride and his final total was 19+1.

Matthew won heat 14, and Max got his fourth third place when he seemed to bump McKinna off, the end of a bad and pointless night for Adam.

We powered past sixty through Wolbert and Fisher in the last heat, with Kevin earning the bumps for his paid maximum. By this time the Diamonds were well and truly demoralised.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Newcastle Diamonds

Edinburgh have the perfect opportunity to avenge their damaging Premier Trophy defeat at the hands of Newcastle when the Diamonds visit Armadale this Friday (7.30) seeking Premier League points.

Rider absences will again have a big influence on the outcome but, unlike last week when these weakened the Monarchs and strengthened King's Lynn, on this occasion they could work in Monarchs' favour because two of Newcastle's top three riders will be missing.

The formidable young Scandinavian heat leaders Kenni Larsen and Rene Bach are forced to miss this match, not because of volcanic ash but because of a rearranged Danish Championship event on Saturday afternoon. This pair were both unbeaten in Newcastle's most recent match, so their absence will be a big miss.

Rider replacement will operate for Larsen and, since he is their No.1 rider, this means every other team member is eligible for an extra race. Guesting for Bach will be Glasgow's classy Australian, Josh Grajczonek who performed impressively on his last Armadale visit having studied videos in advance.

Monarchs will also have to contend with three riders with masses of Armadale experience in Mark Lemon, Derek Sneddon and Adam McKinna. Lemon in particular is riding close to the top of his game at the moment, so confidence is certainly not an issue and he will be aiming for double figures.

A key match-up will be former Monarchs captain Derek Sneddon with Monarchs young Hungarian racer, Jozsef Tabaka who was just about the only Monarch to escape criticism last week after turning in his best home performance so far. Fan loyalty may be a tad divided on these two but Jozsef is the one in blue and gold.

And the match could be won and lost at reserve where the in-form Kalle Katajisto and Max Dilger should be expected to out-score young Dakota North and Adam McKinna. In addition, Jason King who makes up the Diamonds top four is not noted as a star performer at Armadale.

So provided Monarchs top four can impose themselves on their opposite numbers this week, Monarchs should be expected to win this one and get their Premier League challenge back on track. With calls to do better ringing in their ears and with promises of more conducive track conditions, there can be no excuses.

Probable line-ups

Edinburgh: Ryan Fisher, Jozsef Tabaka, Kevin Wolbert, Matthew Wethers, Andrew Tully, Max Dilger, Kalle Katajisto.

Newcastle: Rider replacement for Kenni Larsen, Derek Sneddon, Jason King, Josh Grajczonek (guest), Mark Lemon, Dakota North, Adam McKinna.