Edinburgh Monarchs v Ipswich Witches

A 16-point victory margin did scant justice to a determined effort from Ipswich who had five very competitive riders in their side.

The Witches got off to a 5-1 start and they fought hard right to the end, making the home side work very hard for their points. They closed the gap to just 2 after heat 8 but were gradually overpowered.

The Border Roofing Monarchs again had reason to thank the outstanding pair of Kevin Wolbert and Justin Sedgmen, who picked up 14 points between them and also both won their heats when not riding together.

Sedgmen especially was at his best, cleverly choosing the most advantageous lines round the first corner, and whilst not lightning quick, riding so cleverly that no-one could pick him off. This was especially obvious in heat 5 when holding off the faster-looking Danny King.

Craig Cook was also in good form and threw everything into his attempts to come from the back, though both Nico Covatti and Rohan Tungate were speedy enough to stay in front.

Covatti looked really spectacular riding a wide line, while Tungate refused to be put off by a crash in heat 10, a tough call for the ref after he had clashed with Sam Masters, who had edged ahead down the straight. The Witches’ Aussie came back to win heat 13.

King was squeezed out in that heat after gating second, with Masters and Cook forcing their way through on the opening lap.

Gino Manzares again looked at home on the track while Josh Bates was a handy guest at reserve, very tenacious. Erik Riss was the main back-up rider for the home side and he would probably have ridden in heat 8 as well but for clutch problems.

It was one of these meetings when you felt the riders had really earned their corn and tried to give value for money. There wasn’t a huge amount of passing but it was competitive all the way, unlike some of the recent matches.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Ipswich Witches

Three weeks after rain killed off the first attempt to race this fixture, the Ipswich Witches again make the trip from Suffolk to Armadale with one of the most exciting and cosmopolitan line-ups in the Premier League, hoping to dent the Edinburgh Monarchs unbeaten home record.

Chris Louis certainly has the knack of building attractive teams although, as seems to be the norm with most sides at the moment, they will only track a six-man team because their third top average rider, Cameron Heeps, is still sidelined with a compound wrist fracture sustained at Berwick a month ago.

Up front for the Witches is a British rider now in his thirteenth consecutive Elite League season, 28-year-old Danny King from Maidstone in Kent. He'd have expected to be pitted against fellow Team GB rider, Craig Cook but of course it's now smilin’ Sam Masters riding at No.1.

At No.2, 21-year-old Gino Manzares from Amaheim in Californian has returned to the Ipswich side after having fractured his shoulder blade. He will line up beside Monarchs’ Rob Branford who moves up from reserve and will be hoping to still continue his habit of picking up important points.

Monarchs' senior German rider at No.3, Kevin Wolbert is piling up welcome big scores home and away, so he is well matched against the Witches’ 26-year-old Argentinian riding on an Italian licence, Nico Covatti, who rode three season with EL Birmingham, finishing last year at Sheffield.

Justin Sedgmen is still settling in to life at No.4 and it is he who has the rider replacement on the other side of the pits with all the Witches apart from Danny King being eligible to take the extra rides. I'm sure Ipswich would prefer a fit Cameron Heeps all the same.

Monarchs’ magnificent captain, Craig Cook, seems to be back to his best after a few bike and injury problems in the recent past. At No.5 he faces 25-year-old Rohan Tungate from Kurri Kurri, Australia, a one-time road racer who rode with Poole in 2013 and was Ipswich No.1 and Rider of the Year in 2014.

Erik Riss drops to the No.6 position where he will be expected to take extra rides and increase his scoring power. But Ipswich are strong at reserve, first with 20-year-old Stefan Nielsen from Denmark who started out with Mildenhall and has since ridden for a number of Premier League clubs.

Max Clegg, continuing to impress in his first full PL season, moves to No.7 this week where he faces the Ipswich captain, 31-year-old Ritchie Hawkins from Peterborough who started out in motocross before speedway. Ritchie was voted Ipswich's Most Improved Rider 2014.

There are no obvious weak links in this Ipswich side and Monarchs will have to be at their very best to stay on top in this one. They have been allowed to run up big scores at home recently, but any mishaps or lack of sharpness from the tapes could be more critical this week.

If you like your speedway close and exciting, this fixture has the making of one of the most attractive matches on the calendar. The addition of a rejuvenated Danny King could be the cutting-edge ingredient Ipswich have lacked since their return to the Premier League.

How will Monarchs adapt to all the recent changes in riding order? Can Ipswich pull off a stunning win to show they are top six contenders? All in all, this is definitely not a match to be missed. Be sure to take your usual place among friends for what should be a cracker. Tapes up at 7.30 sharp.

Likely line-ups:

EDINBURGH BORDER ROOFING MONARCHS: Sam Masters, Rob Branford, Kevin Wolbert, Justin Sedgmen, Craig Cook (capt.), Erik Riss, Max Clegg.

IPSWICH SACKERS WITCHES: Danny King, Gino Manzares, Nico Covatti, R/R for Cameron Heeps, Rohan Tungate, Stefan Nielsen, Ritchie Hawkins (capt.).