Edinburgh Monarchs
Craig Cook 13 (5)
Ipswich Witches
Richie Worrall 14 (5)
Premier League
56
36
Friday 16th May 2014
Armadale Stadium
Edinburgh Monarchs
Team Manager: John Campbell
56
1. Craig Cook 1 3 3 3 3 13 0
2. Justin Sedgmen 0 2* 3 2* 7 2
3. Max Fricke 2 1 2* 2 7 1
4. Derek Sneddon 0 0 3 X 3 0
5. Sam Masters 2* 3 3 1 1 10 1
6. Aaron Fox 3 2* 5 1
7. Stevie Worrall 2* 3 2* 0 1* 3 11 3
Ipswich Witches
Team Manager: Chris Louis
36
1. Richie Worrall 3 3 4 2 2 14 0
2. Gino Manzares 2* 2* 1 1* 0 6 3
3. Morten Risager 1 1 0 3 5 0
4. Cameron Heeps 3 0 1 2 6 0
5. Rohan Tungate 1 1 1 0 3 0
6. Adam Ellis 0 0 0 0 0 0
7. Ritchie Hawkins 1 0 0 1* 2 1
Heat 1
Time: 55.1
1. Craig Cook  
1
2. Justin Sedgmen  
0
1. Richie Worrall  
3
2. Gino Manzares  
2
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
1
Away
5
5
Heat 2
Time: 57.1
6. Aaron Fox  
3
7. Stevie Worrall  
2
6. Adam Ellis  
0
7. Ritchie Hawkins  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
6
Away
1
6
Heat 3
Time: 56.2
3. Max Fricke  
2
4. Derek Sneddon  
0
3. Morten Risager  
1
4. Cameron Heeps  
3
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
2
8
Away
4
10
Heat 4
Time: 56.7
5. Sam Masters  
2
7. Stevie Worrall  
3
5. Rohan Tungate  
1
7. Ritchie Hawkins  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
13
Away
1
11
Heat 5
Time: 56.1
3. Max Fricke  
1
4. Derek Sneddon  
0
1. Richie Worrall  
3
2. Gino Manzares  
2
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
14
Away
5
16
Heat 6
Time: 56.4
1. Craig Cook  
3
2. Justin Sedgmen  
2
5. Rohan Tungate  
1
6. Adam Ellis  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
19
Away
1
17
Heat 7
Time: 57.3
5. Sam Masters  
3
6. Aaron Fox  
2
3. Morten Risager  
1
4. Cameron Heeps  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
24
Away
1
18
Heat 8
Time: 56.6
2. Justin Sedgmen  
3
7. Stevie Worrall  
2
2. Gino Manzares  
1
7. Ritchie Hawkins  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
29
Away
1
19
Heat 9
Time: 57.8
3. Max Fricke  
2
4. Derek Sneddon  
3
5. Rohan Tungate  
1
6. Adam Ellis  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
34
Away
1
20
Heat 10
Time: 55.9
1. Craig Cook  
3
2. Justin Sedgmen  
2
3. Morten Risager  
0
4. Cameron Heeps  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
39
Away
1
21
Heat 11
Time: 56.1
5. Sam Masters  
3
6. Aaron Fox  
7. Stevie Worrall
0
1. Richie Worrall  
4
2. Gino Manzares  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
42
Away
5
26
Heat 12
Time: 57.7
3. Max Fricke  
2
7. Stevie Worrall  
1
3. Morten Risager  
3
6. Adam Ellis  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
45
Away
3
29
Heat 13
Time: 55.8
1. Craig Cook  
3
5. Sam Masters  
1
1. Richie Worrall  
2
5. Rohan Tungate  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
49
Away
2
31
Heat 14
Time: 57.7
4. Derek Sneddon  
Fx
6. Aaron Fox  
3
4. Cameron Heeps  
2
7. Ritchie Hawkins  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
52
Away
3
34
Heat 15
Time: 57.3
1. Craig Cook  
3
5. Sam Masters  
1
1. Richie Worrall  
2
2. Gino Manzares  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
56
Away
2
36

The scores were very tight over the first few heats with Ipswich’s opening pair prominent, but Edinburgh raised their game dramatically from heat 6 onwards.

This was a remarkable twelfth win in a row for the Scotwaste Monarchs since the season started, an all-time Premier League record, and in the end it was comfortable.

It all looked a bit different early on, especially as it transpired that the best two Ipswich riders were paired together. Richie Worrall and Gino Manzares leapt from the traps and fought off the early challenge from Justin Sedgmen, Craig Cook then came into the picture and put on some powerful pressure, edging ahead of Manzares round the final turn, but the American showed remarkable resilience to regain second down the final straight.

Aaron Fox upheld Stateside honour by taking his first 3-pointer for Monarchs, backed by Stevie Worrall to level the scores. Cameron Heeps then won a race, followed by another home maximum, and finally in this see-saw stage of the match the Witches went ahead again.

This time Manzares caught Max Fricke, who was concentrating on trying to pass Richie Worrall when he found himself relegated to third. It was a fine cutback by Manzares, normally a tactic the home men are most adept at.

We then saw the home riders display their fighting spirit. Sedgmen harried Rohan Tungate all the way in heat 6 before passing for a maximum with Cook, then Fox did really well again to hold off Morten Risager behind Sam Masters, and in heat 8 even Manzares could not disrupt the highly successful Sedgmen-Steve Worrall pairing who have had so many 5-1s this year.

The match had changed substantially and Ipswich never recovered. They lost another two 5-1s before sending out their no. 1 on the second TR in heat 11.

In this race unfortunately Fox got caught on the outside on the first corner and suffered a badly gashed leg, initially thought to be a worse injury. Masters countered the TR and although Risager did a grab a race win in heat 12, the match was all over.

Edinburgh Monarchs put their unbeaten record on the line this Friday at Armadale against a young Ipswich Witches team who are in many ways very similar to Monarchs since they include one local rider, a Worrall brother, a new American rider and a sprinkling of Australians.

They are also built on very similar principles to the Monarchs with a relatively even set of averages throughout the seven riders, meaning that every one of them is capable of winning any given race.

But what they don’t have is a rider of the calibre of Craig Cook who never knows when he is beaten around the Scotwaste Arena. His opposing No.1 is our Stevie’s brother, Richie Worrall, who has, like Craig, made a highly successful switch from Motocross to speedway.

The hero of the Monarchs’ win at Plymouth, Justin Sedgmen, fresh from his move up from reserve, is faced with 20-year-old Gino Manzares from Anaheim in California who has already impressed in the USA, Australia and in his first UK season with an average of 5.44.

Monarchs rising star at No.3, Max Fricke, is very evenly matched on paper with the Witches’ Morten Risager, although the Dane is in his testimonial season after ten years of speedway experience with most Elite League clubs before dropping a division along with Ipswich.

Edinburgh’s livewire captain Derek Sneddon is this week pitted against an 18-year-old rider from Perth in Western Australia, Cameron Heeps, who initially starred with Mildenhall and who is still very much on the way upwards despite a few injuries.

Again, there’s not a lot to choose on paper between Edinburgh’s Sam Masters and the Ipswich No.5, Rohan Tungate, who both hail from New South Wales, but 24-year-old Rohan’s honours so far in speedway are mainly of the long track variety.

The success of the team around him has allowed Aaron Fox time to settle in but he can’t rest on his laurels against his opposite number, 18-year-old Adam Ellis who learned his trade on the huge Isle of Wight circuit before moving up to the Premier League with Ipswich last year.

Last but very definitely not least, Stevie Worrall will very much be hoping to get the better of his opposite number at 7, Ritchie Hawkins from Peterborough who started out at Sheffield fourteen years ago and does a captain’s job similar to Derek for Edinburgh.

Monarchs will certainly have to work hard if they want to extend their winning run to 12 consecutive matches. The Witches have had a few inconsistent results including a crushing defeat at Somerset but they are more than capable of springing a major surprise.

Home track advantage is in Edinburgh’s favour as well as the fact that Ipswich will be in the middle of a tiring schedule of three matches in three days, so if the Monarchs hit top form they should extend their Premier League lead. Make sure you’re there to find out if they do. Tapes up 7.30.

Likely line-ups:

SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Justin Sedgmen, Max Fricke, Derek Sneddon (capt.), Sam Masters, Aaron Fox, Steve Worrall.

IPSWICH WITCHES: Richie Worrall, Gino Manzares, Morten Risager, Cameron Heeps, Rohan Tungate, Adam Ellis, Ritchie Hawkins (capt.).