Edinburgh Monarchs v Berwick Bandits

Two meetings in a row beat the weather – things are looking up! A good match and a good performance by the Scotwaste Monarchs too.

They had to deal with a strong early challenge by the Bandits but a run of three 5-1s in mid match gave Monarchs control. Micky Dyer played a big part in that, and he and Matthew Wethers were the two who really upped their game from the previous week.

Derek Sneddon was off to an excellent start in heat 1 as Ashworth concentrated on pushing Cook wide. Ashworth gradually wore Sneddon down and went ahead, with Cook coming through for a late challenge and finishing a length short.

Heat 2 was a poor one for the home reserves, Tomicek and King had no difficulty taking a 5-1.

There was plenty going on in heat 3, with Complin driving hard into the first turn and scattering everyone, including himself. Once they sorted themselves out Bellego was leading from Wethers, with Sneddon just ahead of Complin. Matthew passed the Frenchman for a fine win, and Derek held on to the point.

Andrew Tully took heat 4 but partner Helfer was at the back, which kept the Bandits in front.

Heat 5 was shared, though probably not in the anticipated way. Micky Dyer made a blinder of a gate and stayed in front in spite of a strong challenge from Ashworth, while Wethers didn’t make any headway at the back. Alex Edberg was looking steady considering he hadn’t ridden Armadale before.

Monarchs finally hit back in heat 6, a win for Cook backed by Derek Sneddon who kept an eye on Alden.

That put Monarchs two ahead, and they took another advantage in heat 7 when Dyer gated again, and Andrew Tully sat with him keeping an eye on Complin, who never really mounted a challenge.

Micky came into heat 8 and once again leapt from the start, this time with Derek Sneddon alongside him. They team rode rather slowly but again took the 5-1, and we had turned a 2-point deficit into a ten-point lead in the shortest time possible.

Seb Alden took the Bandits’ first TR, but Tully and Wethers gated in heat 9. Alden nipped past Wethers and that was a 4-4.

David Bellego showed what he is capable of with a fast ride in heat 10, keading the chasing Craig Cook all the way. Craig wasn’t able to get his fast cutbacks working as well as usual and finished just short.

Ricky Ashworth continued his good run by leading Andrew Tully all the way in heat 11, in which Marcel Helfer got his first point in spite of falling, as Edberg had packed up early.

Heat 12 was an excellent battle between Complin and Wethers, passing and repassing before Matthew took the lead and blocked out the Berwick captain’s outside runs.

We hadn’t extended the 10-point advantage over the last four heats but did add another two with a heat 13 4-2, Ashworth splitting our usual ‘maximum’ pairing by heading Tully.

Heat 14 was another good one with Wethers, Bellego and Dyer changing positions before unfortunately Bellego got too close to Wethers and fell, causing Micky to lay down in a welter of men and machines.

We were awarded a 5-1 and took another to finish, Wethers first holding off Complin before Cook came through into second, with Ashworth also racing hard in third.

A good finish to a good match and a home performance to be happy with.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Berwick Bandits

If Edinburgh Monarchs want to climb the Premier League table and challenge for a Play-Off place, the hard work starts here against the Berwick Bandits who pay their second visit of the season to Armadale tonight (7.30 start).

Berwick were out of luck on that occasion as they found a Monarchs side very much on the way up after the wake-up call of an early season home defeat to Redcar. This time around there are a couple of changes in both line-ups which could have an influence on the outcome of this important match.

But first up, the two No.1's are unchanged. Monarchs are fully reaping the benefits of the last year's surprise signing of the young Cumbrian star, Craig Cook, who is in imperious form, while Bandits track their own surprise signing, 2009 Premier League Riders Champion, Ricky Ashworth from Salford.

Derek Sneddon was out injured on Berwick's last visit and will be hoping for more than the four points his replacements managed. On the other side of the pits is a young Swedish rider, Alex Edberg, who has become a fans favourite in his second season with the Bandits after surviving a terrible crash at Shielfield a year ago.

The biggest change comes at No.3 where Monarchs use rider replacement for Theo Pijper, who was one short of a full maximum last Friday, because he is riding on the Continent this week. His opposite number is another former Sheffield star now in the black and gold, the ever-exciting Berwick captain, Lee Complin.

Edinburgh's normally reliable captain Matthew Wethers is having a troubled testimonial season so far as he struggles to overcome recurring bike problems. He lines up at No.4 opposite the fast improving French rider David Bellego who is looking very much more assured than in his debut season with Glasgow last year.

There's a fantastic contest in prospect at No.5 between Andrew Tully, who once again showed his complete mastery of the Scotwaste Arena against Glasgow last week, and Berwick's second super-fast Swede, Seb Alden, who was signed as a full asset from his original UK club, Elite League Swindon Robins.

Micky Dyer enjoyed a big pay night at No.6 on Berwick's last visit against a National League guest but this time he has to pit his fast improving skills against a rider who has dropped from No.2 to reserve, the Czech Republic rider Lubos Tomicek, now in his 10th UK season with a variety of both Elite and Premier clubs.

Finally at No.7, Jason King picked up a few points on his last visit against Edinburgh's guest for the night, Byron Bekker and will be hoping for a repeat performance against the latest raw recruit to the blue and gold, young German prospect Marcel Helfer who will be lining up in only his second Premier League meeting.

Monarchs will not be quite so hampered by Theo Pijper's absence than if they had been forced to cover with only the reserves, but Berwick will still target this as a weakness they can exploit to keep the scores close, especially since they undoubtedly have a stronger line-up than in the League Cup fixture in May.

On top of tracking only a six-man line-up, Monarchs fans will have concerns about whether their captain, Matthew Wethers can get back to his high scoring best and about how long it will take Marcel Helfer to become truly competitive, having given every other rider in the league a few months head start.

Things are not entirely rosy on the other side of the pits since Berwick will still be reeling from a devastating and totally unexpected trouncing by high-flying Ipswich in their last home meeting. Of course this could mean that the Bandits will be more dangerous as they will be desperate to show that result was a freakish one-off.

The big track v small track factor always comes into play between these sides, so Edinburgh must start as favourites to double their Premier League points tally after so many rain-offs. However the Bandits have also managed to race only four PL matches and will be hoping to launch their own climb up the table.

Monarchs should have enough fire power to see off the challenge from the marauding Bandits but if they get off to a slow start or if a couple of their main men ride below their best, anything could happen. One thing is certain, the Monarchs will need maximum support from their fans, so make sure you're there at 7.30 sharp.

EDINBURGH SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Derek Sneddon, rider replacement for Theo Pijper, Matthew Wethers (capt.), Andrew Tully, Micky Dyer, Marcel Helfer.

BERWICK A&J SCOTT BANDITS: Ricky Ashworth, Alex Edberg, Lee Complin, David Bellego, Seb Alden, Lubos Tomicek, Jason King.