Plymouth Gladiators
Ben Barker 12 (5)
Edinburgh Monarchs
Sam Masters 16+1 (6)
Championship
48
42
Tuesday 31st May 2022
Plymouth Coliseum
Plymouth Gladiators
Team Manager: Garry May
48
1. Chris Harris 1 0 1* 1* 3 2
2. Alfie Bowtell 3 1 3 2 9 0
3. Ben Barker 3 2 3 3 1 12 0
4. Michael Palm Toft 1 1* 2* 3 0 7 2
5. Hans Andersen 1* 1 1 2 5 1
6. Harry McGurk 2* 0 0 2 1
7. Ben Morley 3 2 2* 1 2* 10 2
Edinburgh Monarchs
Team Manager: John Campbell
42
1. Sam Masters 2 3 3 3 3 2* 16 1
2. Lasse Fredriksen - Rider Replacement 0 0
3. Kye Thomson 2 2* 1 3 0 8 1
4. Paco Castagna 0 3 0 0 3 0
5. Josh Pickering 3 2* 1 0 3 9 1
6. Jacob Hook 0 FD 0 0 2* 2 1 5 1
7. Ben Trigger 1 0 0 1 0
Heat 1
 
1. Chris Harris  
1
2. Alfie Bowtell  
3
1. Sam Masters  
2
2. Lasse Fredriksen  
6. Jacob Hook
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
4
Away
2
2
Heat 2
 
6. Harry McGurk  
2
7. Ben Morley  
3
6. Jacob Hook  
FD
7. Ben Trigger  
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
9
Away
1
3
Heat 3
 
3. Ben Barker  
3
4. Michael Palm Toft  
1
3. Kye Thomson  
2
4. Paco Castagna  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
13
Away
2
5
Heat 4
 
5. Hans Andersen  
1
7. Ben Morley  
2
5. Josh Pickering  
3
7. Ben Trigger  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
16
Away
3
8
Heat 5
 
3. Ben Barker  
2
4. Michael Palm Toft  
1
1. Sam Masters  
3
2. Lasse Fredriksen  
7. Ben Trigger
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
19
Away
3
11
Heat 6
 
1. Chris Harris  
0
2. Alfie Bowtell  
1
5. Josh Pickering  
2
6. Jacob Hook  T/S
1. Sam Masters
3
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
20
Away
5
16
Heat 7
 
5. Hans Andersen  
1
6. Harry McGurk  
0
3. Kye Thomson  
2
4. Paco Castagna  
3
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
21
Away
5
21
Heat 8
 
2. Alfie Bowtell  
3
7. Ben Morley  
2
2. Lasse Fredriksen  
3. Kye Thomson
1
7. Ben Trigger  
6. Jacob Hook
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
26
Away
1
22
Heat 9
 
3. Ben Barker  
3
4. Michael Palm Toft  
2
5. Josh Pickering  
1
6. Jacob Hook  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
31
Away
1
23
Heat 10
 
1. Chris Harris  
1
2. Alfie Bowtell  
2
3. Kye Thomson  
3
4. Paco Castagna  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
34
Away
3
26
Heat 11
 
5. Hans Andersen  
1
6. Harry McGurk  
0
1. Sam Masters  
3
2. Lasse Fredriksen  
6. Jacob Hook
2
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
35
Away
5
31
Heat 12
 
3. Ben Barker  
3
7. Ben Morley  
1
3. Kye Thomson  
0
6. Jacob Hook  
2
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
4
39
Away
2
33
Heat 13
 
1. Chris Harris  
1
5. Hans Andersen  
2
1. Sam Masters  
3
5. Josh Pickering  
0
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
3
42
Away
3
36
Heat 14
 
4. Michael Palm Toft  
3
6. Harry McGurk  
7. Ben Morley
2
4. Paco Castagna  
0
7. Ben Trigger  
6. Jacob Hook
1
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
5
47
Away
1
37
Heat 15
 
4. Michael Palm Toft  
0
3. Ben Barker  
1
1. Sam Masters  
2
5. Josh Pickering  
3
 
Heat
Score
Match
Score
Home
1
48
Away
5
42

Another heat 15 master class by Sam Masters and Josh Pickering meant the What the Fork Monarchs became only the second team to gain as much as a point on the road from 'The Coliseum' going down 48-42 at thePlymouth Gladiators on Tuesday night.

It looked like a long night was in store as the home men exerted the pressure from the off, heat advantages in each of the first 3 races meant the Monarchs were staring at a 8 point deficit and a tough night looked in store.

This is a Monarch's team with an ingrained spirit though and led by Masters who only dropped points in the first heat on his way to a paid 17 haul they clawed their way back in leaving team boss John Campbell to say 'Very proud of the boys. Exceeded expectations and if it wasn't for some track work orchestrated by Ben Barker before heat 12 then we might have got even closer.

'It was great that Sam and Josh got the 5-1 that we needed in heat 15 to get a well deserved Championship point.

'A special mention to Jacob Hook for sticking in after four pointless rides and getting his reward.

'We move onto Poole tomorrow looking for more points.'

As mentioned by Campbell it really was a night of 2 halves for the Monarch's young Aussie Hook with points scoring positions in his first pair of rides taken away by machinery gremlins and a fall. Hook stuck to his task though and 5 points over his last 4 were crucial in giving Masters, Pickering and fellow heat leader Kye Thomson the back up they needed.

After their slow start the Monarch's actually pulled themselves level after back to back heat maximums in heats 6 and 7 but with the home men repeating the trick in heats 8 and 9 the 8 point home advantage was restored.

Track grading after heat 10 then again after a heat 11 interval worked to home main man Barker's advantage as he jetted away for a heat 12 win and a home maximum in heat 14 by Michael Palm Toft and the very impressive Ben Morley meant that the best the Monarchs could do was salvage a point with a last heat max of their own.

Pickering and Masters duly delivered team riding expertly to hold off the spirited challenges of Barker and Palm Toft.

So, a point it was to be for the Monarchs one that most in attendance would say was the least they deserved.

Plymouth Gladiators 48: Harris 3+2, Bowtell 9, Barker 12, Palm Toft 7+2, Anderson 5+1, McGurk 2+1, Morley 10+2

What the Fork Monarchs 42: Masters 16+1, Fredriksen r/r, Thomson 8+1, Castagna 3, Pickering 9+1, Hook 5+1, Trigger 1

The What the Fork Monarchs start a busy 8 days with the longest trip in British speedway as they head for Devon to take on the Plymouth Gladiators in Championship action.

This starting a spell of 5 matches in that 8-day spell as the Monarchs league and cup hopes could be bolstered or blown depending on results.

Taking anything from this one will be no easy feat though as the Gladiators boast a formidable home record that has already seen them best sides such as Poole and Leicester with relevant ease.

The home men are led by an experienced spearhead with a top 4 of Hans Anderson, Michael Palm-Toft, Ben Barker and Eddie Kennett. Kennett though has been ruled out since a first match of the season smash and on a handily high average the busiest man in British speedway Chris Harris steps in.

Alfie Bowtell completes the top 5 and is always a handy man round the tight confines of the coliseum. Recent injuries and retirements have meant a couple of changes from season's start at the bottom end and the injury to Dan Gilkes was a real blow for the Gladiators. Replacement Ben Morley is a more than capable rider though as we saw at Armadale when he guested for Redcar a couple of Fridays ago. Highly touted Harry McGurk completes the line-up.

For the Monarchs there are 2 changes to their normal 7, Lasse Fredriksen unfortunately has a broken shoulder after his off on Friday night, so r/r operates at number 2 with Kye and our reserve pair able to deputise.

The other change comes at that bottom end, James Sarjeant still on the side-lines although hoping to be back sooner than originally anticipated misses out, with James's average not jumping up till the 1st of June and many riders in Poland for the u24 league local National League man Ben Trigger steps in to deputise.

That will off course put pressure on the top 4 to come up with the goods as Jacob also will be visiting for the first time and it has to be said a mixed bag of results came form our top men in a disappointing defeat on the south coast last year. Sam, Kye and Josh combined for just 21 points that night so a repeat of that could make for a long night for the Monarchs.

Paco Castagna on the other hand hit double figures in his visit last year albeit form reserve so it is a certainly a place that holds no fears for the Italian.

Tapes-up at 7:00pm and it is fantastic to say for an away fixture that for those that can't make it that the match is live streamed with passes able to be purchased on the Plymouth website.

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