Leicester in command of Playoff semi

Leicester Lions produced an outstanding performance at Armadale to take complete control of the first Championship semi-final, holding a 17-point advantage with their home leg to come tomorrow.

Monarchs' boss Alex Harkess said "I'm very disappointed and it was a very poor performance by us. We are not as bad a team as we looked tonight, we can't be or we would never have beaten Redcar last week. Even when we gated we were being out-fought round the first corner. Leicester were excellent but we are better than we looked tonight, and I hope we can get a better score away from home – I believe that is possible."

It was a big disappointment to the Armadale supporters who held high hopes who have seen the team finish fourth in the league and reach the semi-finals of the KO Cup and the Playoffs. They are established as the fourth best team in the league, but they scarcely looked that tonight.

Right from heat 1 when Nick Morris raced from the start, joined by Connor Mountain who slipped past Sam Masters to record an opening 5-1, the Lions' onslaught was relentless. Max Clegg and Richie Worrall took race wins in heats 2 and 3, and although Josh Pickering's first bend cutback gave him a heat 4 win over Kyle Howarth, there was no heat advantage, and equally no letup in the grip Leicester had on this match.

They had the next 5 race winners and the lead was extended to 13 by heat 9, assisted by a 5-0 in heat 8 when both Lasse Fredriksen and Jacob Hook slid off in separate runnings of the heat.

Monarchs had no answer to the ferocity of Leicester's onslaught, so fast from the tapes and so determined around the first turn. Morris, Worrall and Howarth were all high-quality but Connor Mountain and Max Clegg were also impressive.

Sam Masters got his first race win in heat 10 against former team mate Worrall, but Josh Pickering had to work hard to even get a second place in heat 11 as he battled past Mountain, which was the first defeat for the Lions' no. 2.

Heat 12 was another 4-2 loss, then finally we saw the best of Masters and Pickering as they teamed up in the usual style for a 5-1 in heat 13 over Howarth and Morris.

Even that though was reversed in the final race by Howarth and Worrall! So that's that, Monarchs will not be in the final but they have a chance tomorrow in their final match of the season to show that they are better than they looked tonight.

It's something of a mystery that Leicester themselves suffered a 30-point defeat at Poole in midweek. Just how good must Poole be? Their team manager Stewart Dickson certainly turned it round for his team and rarely can he have left Armadale feeling more satisfied than he must have done tonight.

Lions Next Up

The What the Fork Monarchs face the biggest challenge of their season as the playoff semi finals get under way at Armadale on Friday night against table topping Leicester who are going for a 2nd title in the last 3 seasons.

Stewart Dickson's men were comfortable regular season top dogs but come into this one a little wounded after taking a heavy aggregate defeat to Poole in the KO Cup semi final over the last week a result that will make them glad that the Monarchs were their choice of opposition for this one.

Both teams are at full strength with key battles obvious throughout, the top end of the Lions has been their strength all year and with the Armadale experience and pedigree of Nick Morris, Richie Worrall and Kyle Howarth it will ever have been harder for the Monarchs top men Sam Masters and Josh Pickering.

Connor Mountain appears in fine form and is joined by Dan Thompson in the 2nd string positions that may be key as the Monarchs look for Lasse and Paco to step up and find their best form this weekend.

The Lions also have a former league winning Monarch at reserve in Max Clegg so there is no obvious weak spot in the visitor's line-up of course this not unusual when a team that won 14 out of 18 of their league fixtures this year come to town.

Added spice is thrown into the fixture with the future of the Monarchs still very much in doubt meaning every home fixture could be the last for the team and with the depth of feeling that the likes of Masters and Pickering have publicly expressed in recent weeks there is no doubt that a steely determination exists within the Blue and Gold ranks.

Tapes up is at 7.30 with pay at the gate option available for those that haven't gotten their tickets so far.

Who knows how many times I will be able to say this the rest of this season but as always Friday night is speedway night, get yourself trackside!