Edinburgh Monarchs v Sheffield Tigers

With 28 points to pull back we had to get pretty much everything right in the home leg, and we didn?t manage to do that even though we did record a resounding victory.

It was a much longer meeting than usual, with numerous crashes, at least a couple of which seemed to improve Sheffield?s position. It was becoming rather annoying to see riders tumble before two laps had been completed, then either stay down or rise according to where their partner lay in the race. This may or may not have been calculated but the outcomes generally favoured the visitors.

Pre-match rain made the circuit slippery.

Monarchs needed a strong start and Wolbert and Wethers were a long way clear of the visiting pair in the opening heat. Monarchs did seem in the mood when Howarth and Dicken got round the opening bend of the second race in front, and held position for almost two laps ? when Birks fell on the pits corner.

The pathetic rule dreamt up by the BSPA insists that all four riders (rather than just the three still on board) must have completed two laps before a race can be awarded, so the offending side benefited as Lambert jetted off to win the rerun.

Shane Parker led for most of heat 3 with Tully and Auty in hot pursuit and Katajisto trailing. At the end of lap three Parker made an uncharacteristic error and swung wide, letting Tully through for victory.

The pits turn of lap four brought mayhem as Cook lost control, Sanchez two-wheeled across the turn and Howarth fell, with Birks out of control many yards behind. Sanchez was excluded, reason unclear.

The rerun brought a comfortable home 5-1 but it was not clear yet whether Cook was going to be at his best after his injury.

Heat again brought profit from a fall for Sheffield. Katajisto and Tully led when Skidmore fell, and in the rerun Ashworth slotted in to second behind Katajisto. Tully appeared to have the speed to pass, but got caught in the wrong place when Ashworth held it tight coming off the pits bend on lap three.

Andrew fell and remounted for the point, but at 20-10 Monarchs score was perhaps three points light of where it could have been.

Wolbert and Wethers took 5 from heat 6 eventually, after we had had yet another stoppage, this time for Sanchez falling (and hurting his shoulder). In fact Wethers was in difficulty on the same bend and had lost second to Lambert at the time of the stoppage. Sheffield surely should have had Birks in the rerun here to free up a Lambert ride, because the 5-1 was always on the cards.

Parker led heat 7 from Cook and Dicken with Auty at the back, and just as it seemed big Lee might get a good point at last, he slid off. So Sheffield had shaved two off Monarchs? lead.

Heat 8 was another chance lost, probably a more significant one. Wethers led as he always does in heat 8, with Howarth behind, but the youngster went into the pits bend too quickly and came down. A paid win was his had he stayed on.

Wethers took the rerun and Monarchs did kick on with an easy 5-1 in heat 9, Birks replacing Sanchez alongside Lambert.

Heat 10 was an all-star clash, and the Sheffield riders made the better starts. However Wolbert was not to be denied and drove past Parker down the back straight, while Wethers simultaneously caught Auty for third.

Craig Cook seemed to be right into his stride now and won heat 11 easily, but Kyle Howarth was pushed to the back by Ashworth and Skidmore and eventually fell off.

Still 10 points to be made up, and although Tully won heat 12 partner Dicken was on the deck again, and we got no closer. The unhappy position with three heats left was that we needed three 5-1s to win.

Well we got the first one, even though we had to endure yet another stoppage when Ashworth threw his bike away. Wolbert and Cook made no mistake in the rerun.

Ten points to win, 9 to draw. However it was all over quickly as Parker and Lambert gated in heat 14. Kalle missed the start badly from the outside but made up quite a bit of ground, without being able to put in a real challenge.

If we had to lose, these were the two Sheffield riders who deserved to clinch it (and stayed on their bikes).

There was still Kevin?s maximum to go for, and he pulled off an incredible drive on the opening lap of the last race to come from quite a bit back and race inside Parker on the pits corner.

With luck we might even have made the 28 points, but it was a lot to ask and too many things went wrong.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Sheffield Tigers

This week sees a break from the almost relentless tide of Premier League fixtures when Monarchs will hope to have done enough to give themselves a fighting chance of progressing against Sheffield in the second leg of their Premier League Knockout Cup tie at Armadale.

Sheffield?s Owlerton Stadium is of course the biggest, fastest track in the Premier League whereas the Scotwaste Arena is one of the smallest and most technical, which makes for two contrasting matches and tests the adaptability of the riders and equipment of both sides.

Armadale?s new No.1, Kevin Wolbert, currently has the highest green sheet average of either set of riders and lines up against Owlerton track expert and Tigers captain, Ricky Ashworth from Salford who is now in his eleventh consecutive Sheffield season.

Monarchs skipper Matthew Wethers has another real Tiger to contend with at No.2 in the up-and-coming young Australian racer, Hugh Skidmore (was there ever a more appropriate surname for a speedway rider?). He is also listed as Belle Vue?s No.8.

There's a mouth-watering contest at No.3 where Andrew Tully has been showing he is regaining his former supreme mastery of Armadale recently. Opposite the flying Andrew will be 20-year-old Yorkshire-born Josh Auty who has taken on a new lease of life since joining up with Eric Boocock again.

Kalle Katajisto's fragile form will be tested by the experienced Argentinian, Emiliano Sanchez.at No.4 and Craig Cook faces the man who seems to enjoy nothing more than scoring points against Monarchs, Shane Parker in his last season before retiring (surely never into obscurity) back to Australia.

The reserve positions will be crucial once again, this week with Kyle Howarth pitting his prolific scoring against Simon Lambert and Lee Dicken surely about to break his duck against yet another Yorkshire lad, Ashley Birks,inexperienced in speedway but another of the former moto-cross riders.

In the past both sides have shown an ability to pile up the points with home advantage, so no matter what happens in the first leg, these two-legged ties between the clubs always end up close on aggregate. This one should be no different but if Monarchs can contain Parker and Auty, they should come out on top.

Likely line-ups:

EDINBURGH SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Kevin Wolbert, Matthew Wethers (capt.), Andrew Tully, Kalle Katajisto, Craig Cook, Lee Dicken, Kyle Howarth.

SHEFFIELD WINDOW CENTRE TIGERS: Ricky Ashworth (capt.), Hugh Skidmore, Josh Auty, Emiliano Sanchez, Shane Parker, Simon Lambert, Ashley Birks.