A SUNNY NIGHT AND A GOOD WIN

It felt like summer at last as the Scotwaste Monarchs eventually overpowered Plymouth 56-36, though not before the Devils had given us a scare in the early stages.

The visitors took the lead in heat 4 and were still level after six races. Who was going to produce the ride that would turn the match in our favour?

Well it turned out to be Mitchell Davey, in his first match for the Monarchs, who leapt from the tapes to lead all the way in heat 7, with Claus Vissing backing up for the 5-1.

Mitchell had a more than satisfactory debut, also taking a good point from Chris Schramm in heat 11 and finishing with a healthy 5 points.

That heat 7 ride boosted everyone and we took control of the match, scoring 32 points in 7 heats to kill off the Devils' challenge.

Of course Craig Cook and Theo Pijper were the dominant forces and they both finished unbeaten from 5 rides. Craig did have to work hard in heat 10 when Mark Lemon on a TR nipped past Craig and Derek Sneddon, but Craig swept past with a big drive down the home straight at the end of lap two.

Once again Theo gave a masterclass in apparently effortless Armadale riding, and you could say the same for Jozsef Tabaka. Unfortunately he suffered a puncture in heat 4 which was the first of two 5-1s for the Devils on the night, but other than that he was again in remarkable form.

His move in heat 12 was one of the highlights of the night. He made a poor start off gate four, but as we were wondering what kind of challenge he might mount later in the race, he turned back and powered up the inside of the back straight past Lemon and Kurtz. He arrived very tight to the third corner but effortlessly turned and secured second place.

Claus Vissing on a new engine was unbeaten after his first race, but for different reasons it was a tough night for Derek Sneddon and Max Fricke.

Derek was the innocent victim of a pileup after Ty Proctor fell while leading heat one. Derek hit the fallen rider and wrecked a new frame he had had since last weekend. "It didn't even last a lap" he said.

Even on his second bike though Derek scored vital points.

For Max the match was a little bit of a setback after recent promising shows. He scored just one and was out for second half practise under the watchful eye of Craig Cook.

Plymouth should be applauded for putting in plenty of effort. They really stretched Monarchs in the early heats though they were eventually overpowered, but they never gave up.

Ty Proctor can never have put in more effort for just 6 from 5 rides. He seemed to be permanently on the tail of a home rider, trying everything to pass.

Corey Gathercole started well but faded after breaking the tapes in heat 9, and Mark Lemon's best ride was his TR.

It was left to reserve Todd Kurtz to hit the highest score for the visitors, and he looked useful all night.

There were plenty of talking points but once again it was the home side who were much the stronger in the end.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Plymouth Devils

The really serious business of mounting a Premier League challenge begins at Armadale this Friday when the Plymouth Devils bring their completely re-modelled 2013 side north in search of a first away win.

A change of Devils' management brought a change of team building philosophy. Out went the big two of Ryan Fisher and Ben Barker and in came a more evenly balanced side. But with only two wins so far, the team from Devon have not yet sparked into life as had been hoped.

After a week in the speedway spotlight, the Premier League's undoubted No.1, Craig Cook, can't rest on his laurels against Plymouth's exciting new star rider, Ty Proctor (26) from Victoria who will be remembered for guesting in both legs of King's Lynn's 2009 KO Cup Final win against Monarchs.

Edinburgh's No.2, Derek Sneddon will have seen his opposite number, 28-year-old Chris Schramm from Essex putting up a very creditable show in the British Final. Chris started in speedway at Sittingbourne and was a permanent feature in that same 2009 King's Lynn treble-winning side.

The match-up at second heat leader is just as fierce where the deadly Dutchman, Theo Pijper, lines up opposite 40-year-old Mark Lemon from Victoria who is riding as well as he has ever done after finally getting over a long-standing, career-threatening collarbone injury..

Monarchs' own Australian, Max Fricke is progressing very nicely and is becoming a favourite with the home fans. He won't find it easy this week though against Ricky Kling, a 25-year-old rider from Sweden who has lots of Elite League experience with Lakeside, Eastbourne and Belle Vue.

If determination and enthusiasm was all that mattered, Edinburgh's Claus Vissing would be World Champion. He makes his latest attempt to conquer the Scotwaste Arena against 26-year-old Cory Gathercole, second cousin to Leigh Adams, who started out in the UK on the huge Isle of Wight track.

The Edinburgh fans will be cheering on their new No.6, Mitchell Davey, the enthusiastic Australian who rode for several seasons at Glasgow. He lines up opposite 23-year-old Jake Anderson from Victoria (where else) whose assessed average benefits from having a Scottish grandfather.

Hungarian Jozsef Tabaka has a longer weekly journey than just the short hop from Plymouth, and Monarchs will be looking for him to outscore the fifth Devil from Australia, 20-year-old Todd Kurtz who previously rode for Newport and who is averaging a terrific two points per race at the moment.

So, man for man, the two sides look fairly even but Edinburgh have been pretty devastating on their home shale so far. A look at the Devils' scorecharts show that each rider has both high and low scores which perhaps explains Plymouth's inconsistent and disappointing start to the season.

However, one of these days they will all put it together at the same time and some side will suffer. Monarchs fans will be hoping it doesn't happen this weekend since they will follow the Devils down the long road to Plymouth for the return fixture on Saturday.

Monarchs will be looking to make a serious statement of intent in their first home Premier League match but they won't have it all their own way. So if you've got any voice left after shouting encouragement to Craig Cook this week, be there on Friday (7.30) to cheer on your blue and gold heroes.

Likely line-ups:

EDINBURGH SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Derek Sneddon (capt.), Theo Pijper, Max Fricke, Claus Vissing, Mitchell Davey, Jozsef Tabaka.

PLYMOUTH ST BLAZEY MX DRIVE REVIVE DEVILS: Ty Proctor, Chris Schramm, Mark Lemon (capt.), Ricky Kling, Corey Gathercole, Jake Anderson, Todd Kurtz.