WERE WE GOOD OR WERE THEY BAD?

The Scotwaste Monarchs ensured that they stayed unbeaten for the 15th successive match this season, winning 58-32, though in truth the opposition from Glasgow was extremely disappointing to everyone, not least their own support.

The score does not really reflect how superior Monarchs were. They led 44-16 after 10 heats but threw away several points over the closing stages. It didn't matter much, the match was long since over, and it has to be rated one of the poorest Scottish derbies for a long time.

Mercifully Kevin Wolbert came to life in his latter races and brought out the best in Craig Cook, who won heats 13 and 15 in spectacular fashion. These were just about the only races worthy of the name.

Apart from young reserve Max Clegg who was guesting for Aaron Fox, the Monarchs' scorechart was full of wins and paid wins, with Cook on a paid maximum and Justin Sedgmen only dropping a point in the final heat.

Max Fricke looked sure to finish unbeaten too until he accidentally brought Mark Lemon down in heat 12, earning an exclusion.

Steve Worrall won three heats, Derek Sneddon was unbeaten till he took a fall in heat 9 (blinded by the sun!) and Sam Masters scored 8 – it was all too easy.

Tigers did have their injury problems with Dimitri Bergé still out, and Rusty Harrison suffering from headaches. But other than Wolbert, only the two wins by Anders Thomsen brought any joy to the red and white ranks. The visiting fans deserved better.

Mark Lemon did score well enough but he has certainly ridden Armadale better. Theo Pijper was apparently suffering from a foot injury sustained in Holland on Thursday, which perhaps explained his three-point score. Guest André Compton did little to justify his inclusion.

Monarchs now head for Newcastle on Sunday while Glasgow must be wondering what to do next.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Glasgow Tigers

It's them again mammy! It's those Glasgow Tigers making the short trip to Armadale this Friday absolutely desperate to put on a show on their third attempt in ten weeks to conquer the Scotwate Arena which has been such a fortress for Monarchs so far.

It has been a stop start to the season for the Tigers who have been plagued by rain on match days and whose experienced riders haven't at times provided the solid platform that they need to cover for the emerging talents further down the riding order.

One of these is Kevin Wolbert, the German ace who used to be Monarchs leading rider but has yet to show consistency on his return to the Premier League. Some of Craig Cook's overtakes have taken the breath away recently but he will hope to be leading from the front as much as possible.

Justin Sedgmen has been scoring vital points since his move up to No.2 where this week he will be trying to outscore rider replacement. The young French rider Dmitri Berge who was showing a lot of promise is still injured after a fall at his home Ashfield track.

Max Fricke raised a few eyebrows last Friday with some fantastic points just when Monarchs needed them in order to subdue a lively start from Ipswich. This week he faces another former Monarchs No.1, Rusty Harrison who always gives maximum value with his round-the-boards style.

The Monarchs skipper, Derek Sneddon may not be at his most consistent but underestimate him at your peril! He faces the very experienced Australian rider, Mark Lemon who has been a very welcome and entertaining visitor to the Scotwaste Arena many times over the years.

Sam Masters has been showing signs that he is really starting to get the measure of the Armadale circuit in a way that Claus Vissing failed to do last year at No.5. He'll have to look lively this week though against former Monarch and former track record holder, Theo Pijper who won't give an inch.

Down in the reserve positions, all four riders are pushing their averages up. Last week's Monarchs of the Match, Aaron Fox is looking better every week and he faces the new Glasgow No.6, Kasper Lykke Nielsen from Denmark whose previous experience was with Rye House.

Steve Worrall continues to pile up the points wherever he goes, and he goes to an awful lot of places! On the other side of the pits at No.7 for the Tigers is another up-and-coming 20-year-old Dane, Anders Thomsen who also rides for Fjelsted in the Danish Superleague.

There are some really good match-ups, especially if the Tigers can get off to a good start. They have enough riders with lots of Armadale experience, mixed with a nice balance of youthful endeavour to make life pretty uncomfortable for the high-flying Monarchs.

The problem for Glasgow so far has been a lack of consistency from one match to the next, which is just the opposite of Monarchs who have been firing on 90% of cylinders, if not quite on all cylinders thus far. Home advantage and large doses of self-belief should be expected to see Monarchs come out on top. Tapes up at 7.30 sharp.

Likely line-ups:

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

GLASGOW ALLIED VEHICLE TIGERS: Kevin Wolbert, rider replacement for Dimitri Berge, Rusty Harrison, Mark Lemon, Theo Pijper (capt.), Kasper Lykke, Anders Thomsen.