Edinburgh Monarchs
Craig Cook 13+1 (5)
Peterborough Panthers
Lewis Blackbird 14+1 (5)
Premier League
51
42
Friday 27th June 2014
Armadale Stadium
Edinburgh Monarchs
Team Manager: Alex Harkess
51
1. Craig Cook 3 2* 3 2 3 13 1
2. Justin Sedgmen 2* 3 2 1 8 1
3. Max Fricke X 3 2 3 1 9 0
4. Derek Sneddon 1 1 1* 1 4 1
5. Sam Masters 2 2 1* 1* 6 2
6. Aaron Fox 2* 0 2* 0 4 2
7. Stevie Worrall 3 1* 1* 2 7 2
Peterborough Panthers
Team Manager: Chris Johnson
42
1. Ryan Fisher X F 0 0
2. Lewis Blackbird 1 2* 2 3 6 14 1
3. Ales Dryml r/r 0 0
4. Ulrich Ostergaard 3 3 2 0 3 0 11 0
5. Lasse Bjerre 3 1 3 3 2 12 0
6. Joe Jacobs 1 X 1 0 0 1 2* 5 1
7. Nicki Barrett 0 0 X 0 0 0 0
Heat 1
Time: 55.3
1. Craig Cook  
3
2. Justin Sedgmen  
2
1. Ryan Fisher  
Fx
2. Lewis Blackbird  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
5
Away
1
1
Heat 2
Time: 56
6. Aaron Fox  
2
7. Stevie Worrall  
3
6. Joe Jacobs  
1
7. Nicki Barrett  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
10
Away
1
2
Heat 3
Time: 56.7
3. Max Fricke  
Fx
4. Derek Sneddon  
1
3. Ales Dryml r/r  
2. Lewis Blackbird
2
4. Ulrich Ostergaard  
3
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
11
Away
5
7
Heat 4
Time: 56.4
5. Sam Masters  
2
7. Stevie Worrall  
1
5. Lasse Bjerre  
3
7. Nicki Barrett  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
14
Away
3
10
Heat 5
Time: 57.5
3. Max Fricke  
3
4. Derek Sneddon  
1
1. Ryan Fisher  
F
2. Lewis Blackbird  
2
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
18
Away
2
12
Heat 6
 
1. Craig Cook  
2
2. Justin Sedgmen  
3
5. Lasse Bjerre  
1
6. Joe Jacobs  
Fx
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
23
Away
1
13
Heat 7
Time: 56.5
5. Sam Masters  
2
6. Aaron Fox  
0
3. Ales Dryml r/r  
6. Joe Jacobs
1
4. Ulrich Ostergaard  
3
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
2
25
Away
4
17
Heat 8
 
2. Justin Sedgmen  
2
7. Stevie Worrall  
1
2. Lewis Blackbird  
3
7. Nicki Barrett  
Fx
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
28
Away
3
20
Heat 9
Time: 57.4
3. Max Fricke  
2
4. Derek Sneddon  
1
5. Lasse Bjerre  
3
6. Joe Jacobs  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
31
Away
3
23
Heat 10
Time: 56
1. Craig Cook  
3
2. Justin Sedgmen  
1
3. Ales Dryml r/r  
7. Nicki Barrett
0
4. Ulrich Ostergaard  
2
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
35
Away
2
25
Heat 11
Time: 57
5. Sam Masters  
1
6. Aaron Fox  
7. Stevie Worrall
2
1. Ryan Fisher  
6. Joe Jacobs
0
2. Lewis Blackbird  
6
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
38
Away
6
31
Heat 12
Time: 57.4
3. Max Fricke  
3
7. Stevie Worrall  
6. Aaron Fox
2
3. Ales Dryml r/r  
4. Ulrich Ostergaard
0
6. Joe Jacobs  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
43
Away
1
32
Heat 13
Time: 57
1. Craig Cook  
2
5. Sam Masters  
1
1. Ryan Fisher  
7. Nicki Barrett
0
5. Lasse Bjerre  
3
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
46
Away
3
35
Heat 14
Time: 57.8
4. Derek Sneddon  
1
6. Aaron Fox  
0
4. Ulrich Ostergaard  
3
7. Nicki Barrett  
6. Joe Jacobs
2
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
47
Away
5
40
Heat 15
Time: 56.5
3. Max Fricke  
1
1. Craig Cook  
3
4. Ulrich Ostergaard  
0
5. Lasse Bjerre  
2
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
51
Away
2
42

The Scotwaste Monarchs made it 21 matches unbeaten in season 2014 when they beat Peterborough 51-42 tonight, but it was without question one of the hardest matches of the season.

For once the majority of the praise from the evening has to be given to the opposition, because their star man Ryan Fisher had a disastrous night and crashed in both of his races. In spite of that they pushed Monarchs so hard that the home side needed to at least share the final race to take the full three points.

Even then the Panthers' Bjerre and Ostergaard gated, but Craig Cook produced the ride of the night to weave his way outside Ostergaard, then inside Bjerre, on the opening lap to make sure of the points. Max Fricke also slipped past Ostergaard to ensure there were no slip-ups.

That was a key heat, but so was heat 12. With just seven points in it, Ostergaard took a rider replacement ride for the missing Dryml. The big Dane had scored 8 from 3, only beaten by Cook, but this time Max Fricke and Aaron Fox gated on a 5-1. Joe Jacobs was pressing with Ostergaard at the back and that's the way it stayed as Aaron kept cool for his second paid win of the night.

Last heat pair Ostergaard and Bjerre were brilliant for the Panthers and so was Lewis Blackbird who is a hugely improved rider. Unfortunately for them it was a disastrous night for the one and only Ryan Fisher.

Flyin' Ryan fell in heat one on the opening lap, then hit the fence coming out of the second turn in heat 5. After that he was withdrawn from the meeting and we can only speculate what would have happened had our American friend had a decent meeting. He has a collar bone injury and will be out of action for a short time.

Remarkably Peterborough had the majority of heat winners on a night when it felt as though we had more track grading than in the rest of the season put together.

For the winners only Cook, Fricke and Sedgmen were somewhere near their best. For once the usually immaculate Monarchs' gating was a bit below par and that was the reason behind the lowest home score of the season.

It was a surprise that Panthers did not use Ostergaard as a TR in heat 7, though they did get a 6-pointer from Blackbird later on. Equally Monarchs might have used Stevie Worrall in heat 14 in his final match at reserve but chose not to.

Justin Sedgmen will guest for Ales Dryml tomorrow when the Panthers race at Berwick.

Flyin' Ryan Fisher is back this Friday! Monarchs have been looking for a side to really give them a run for their money at Armadale and this Friday they should find one in the hugely talented Peterborough Panthers who are in the midst of a hectic Northern tour.

Craig Cook lines up opposite the hugely popular former Monarchs leading rider from Riverside, California, Ryan Fisher, who has ridden for Coventry, Plymouth and Peterborough with mixed success and is now on a lower average since tasting huge Premier League success with Edinburgh.

Justin Sedgmen had a quiet meeting last Friday so he will be fired up to get a big score this time out. His opposite number at 2 is Lewis Blackbird from Peterborough who has ridden in all three leagues since his debut with Sittingbourne in 2006 and is currently one of Eastbourne's reserves.

Max Fricke has been showing a steely, determined racing streak in recent meetings and this week he lines up against one of the hugely experienced Czech Republic brothers (once disrespectfully described as the Dryml sisters by Tai Woffinden), Ales Dryml who had been in the Elite League since 2000 until this year.

Derek Sneddon fared much better in the scoring stakes against Rye House and enjoys his last week at No.4 against a very experienced Danish rider, Ulrich Ostergaard who is another rider who has spent nearly all of his decade-long UK career in the Elite League, including with Peterborough before they dropped down.

Sam Masters was upset to drop three points last Friday, especially against an 8-1 highly manufactured by Edward Kennett. He'll have to be at his sharpest against Peterborough's No. 5, Lasse Bjerre from Denmark who rode with Leicester in the PL and still does with the Lions in the EL.

Aaron Fox allowed himself to be unsettled by some mad dives across his bows last week but will have learned from it. His opposite number at 6 is a rider who appeared briefly as a Glasgow Tiger last year, Joe Jacobs from Ipswich, who doubles up with Wolverhampton and down with Mildenhall.

Last but not least is Steve Worrall who rides for the last time at No.7 and will be sorely missed in that position. Facing him across the pits is 25-year-old Nicki Barrett from Denmark who joined the Panthers on loan from Berwick to replace the injured Oliver Greenwood.

Edinburgh learned last week that even a visiting team with only two riders scoring anywhere near double figures can cause a lot of problems. Peterborough have more than two who are capable of big scores and have a fair spread of scoring power across their top five.

Ryan Fisher will be as determined as ever, Dryml and Ostergaard have the ability to beat anybody and Lasse Bjerre could well be the icing on the cake. But this Monarchs side is as good as any we've ever seen and it would still be a major upset if they surrendered their unbeaten record to the Panthers.

There are some real star performers on both sides of the pits and there are fantastic heat leader match-ups: Cook v Fisher; Fricke v Dryml; and Masters v Bjerre. This match should certainly not be lacking in high octane entertainment so make sure you're there for 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.

PETERBOROUGH ‘TC HARRISON’ PANTHERS: Ryan Fisher, Lewis Blackbird, Ales Dryml, Ulrich Ostergaard (capt.), Lasse Bjerre, Joe Jacobs, Nicki Barrett.