GREAT NIGHT'S RACING

The Scotwaste Monarchs took all three points against a very dangerous Somerset Rebels team, a tremendous team performance to win 49-41 and retain top spot in the Premier League table, now by a four-point margin over Somerset.

DDS Monarch of the Match was reserve guest Josh Bates who had two race wins in his 7-point score, and what a bonus that was – his first win in heat 11 was the first defeat of the night for Rebels' no. 1 Jason Doyle!

The Somerset heat leaders lived up to their billing as the best trio in the league with a combined 33 points, but the solidity of the Monarchs won the day. Doyle was quick, Nick Morris is very much an Armadale specialist with his tight turning ability, and Josh Grajczonek had one of his best Armadale meetings winning his last two heats.

But there wasn't enough backup in spite of the obvious efforts of the other Rebels. They led for two heats, Monarchs took over in a tremendous heat 3 with a Pijper/Tabaka 5-1 and they never lost the lead.

Monarchs solidity saw them ease into an 8-point lead by heat 8, and hold that to heat 13. Rebels provided four out of five race winners from heat 9 to heat 13 – the exception being a victory for Josh Bates against Jason Doyle in heat11! Yes that's correct, Doyle's first defeat of the night was by Monarchs' guest reserve.

Craig Cook had a curious night, baulked a couple of times round the first corner, and after a third place in heat 10, he lost a 5-1 in heat 13 to the exceptional Doyle – Nick Morris pairing.

This brought Rebels to within four points with just two heats remaining. In heat 14 Monarchs were left with the dilemma of leaving young Bates in the heat alongside Tabaka, or bringing in the faster gating team captain Derek Sneddon. With the full backing of the skipper, Alex Harkess decided to leave Bates in place – and he pulled off another win, brilliantly backed by Tabaka, against Alex Davies.

What a roar the youngster got for both his victories. Monarchs were now 8 points ahead, victors in the match, but they needed to share the final heat to take all three points. Somerset had their heat 13 5-1 pair of Doyle and Morris, against Cook and Pijper.

Craig had been subdued by his standards, with two third places, but what a ride he produced here to race round the outside of Doyle on the third/fourth corner of the opening lap, squeezing through a tiny gap on the home straight and powering spectacularly home for a victory which kept the points at Armadale.

Comfortably the best meeting of the season against a very competitive visiting team.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Somerset Rebels

Coming north for the first of a three-matches in three days, Somerset will arrive at Armadale on the crest of a wave this Friday (7.30) after they scored a massive 68 points to crush Sheffield on Wednesday and deservedly take over top spot in the Premier League.

That score reflects the confidence that is surging through the Rebels' side at the moment as we approach the sharp end of the season for those clubs who hope to make it into the top six, and it makes this week's rider to rider match-ups all the more important.

Craig Cook has returned to top form in style over his recent matches and was winning races by a country mile again last week. His opposite number, Jason Doyle, will be well known to followers of televised speedway as he is very obviously a commentator's favourite in his doubling up role with Birmingham.

Max Fricke will be hoping to sharpen his gating in order to make his races a bit easier, and this week he is pitted against Kyle Newman from Poole who is still only 21 but who is now in his seventh year of speedway in the UK, having first started out at Weymouth in 2007.

Theo Pijper is well and truly back to riding with his trademark determination after a difficult spell, and he will need to be on top form against former Glasgow favourite, Josh Grajczonek who has taken on a new lease of life since being loaned to Somerset and having an injury-free run.

Hungarian hot-shot, Jozsef Tabaka could be a game-changer for Monarchs if he can find his best form on improved equipment. His opposite number at 4 is 20-year-old Alex Davies, an Australian in his second season with the Rebels, having previous Premier League experience with Newport and Newcastle

Claus Vissing will be another key performer for Monarchs at No.5 where he lines up against 19-year-old Australian, Nick Morris who burst onto the UK scene with Glasgow in 2010, moved on to Scunthorpe in 2012 and along the way has gained Elite League experience with Coventry and Swindon.

Mitchell Davey has began to score some points again which will hopefully have improved his rock-bottom confidence. His opposite number at 6 is Simon Lambert from Boston in Lincolnshire who has ridden regularly between the National and Premier Leagues and who was at one time a fans' favourite at Sheffield.

This will be a huge meeting for Monarchs captain Derek Sneddon who is capable of piling up the points at reserve. Rebels No. 7 is 18-year-old Stefan Nielsen from Denmark in his first Premier League season after winning the British Under-19 Championship and every National League honour with Mildenhall.

On paper these two sides look to be evenly matched and in normal times, home advantage would be expected to make the difference. But this has been anything other than a normal season and Somerset have hit a purple patch in terms of results, which brings with it that vital speedway ingredient, confidence.

Monarchs will do well to remember the other side who came to Armadale recently with a similar level of intensity, Newcastle, who hit the first bend in first and second places in almost every heat. This will be a really tense affair that you won't want to take your eyes off for a single second. Tapes up at 7.30 sharp.

Likely line-ups:

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

SOMERSET REBELS: Jason Doyle (capt.), Kyle Newman, Josh Grajczonek, Alex Davies, Nick Morris, Simon Lambert, Stefan Nielsen.