The weather wins as only 4 heats completed

Rain prior to the start and during tonight's match against Birmingham caused the abandonment of the contest with the Stellar Monarchs leading 16-8. There have no doubt been wetter nights when meetings have been completed, but the timing of the rain did make conditions tricky.

Monarchs' captain Josh Pickering spoke from the centre green, actually before the abandonment had been officially announced, and said "Conditions are just too difficult. The track was fine before the rain started but I've been out for eight weeks and I don't want to be out another eight weeks. I thank all the fans for coming out to watch but you want to see us race in better conditions."

There had been three fallers in the opening heats, plus one or two cases of riders losing control, and when Alfie Bowtell spun off in heat 5 that heat had to be stopped as Bastian Borke was heading towards him having fallen and remounted earlier.

There were some encouraging signs for Monarchs in the races which were staged. Visiting no. 2 easily won heat 1 but Lasse Fredriksen and Josh Pickering picked off the struggling Nick Morris, Josh having earlier been in difficulties on the opening turns.

Heat 2 was a most dramatic one, though sadly for Joe Thompson he seems to have broken his collar bone after clipping Dayle Wood's back wheel in the first running. Wood had held second spot and remarkably repeated that in the rerun with a spirited ride, repassing Sam Hagon after the visitor had briefly grabbed second. Meanwhile Fredriksen had sailed off in front.

Kye Thomson got his best start for weeks in heat 3, and he was joined at the front by partner Borke who raced inside new Brummie Troy Batchelor. The fast start was repeated by Kye in the abandoned heat 5.

Craig Cook touched the tapes on his comeback ride in heat 4, being replaced by Wood, but Lasse Fredriksen compensated with an excellent ride to beat Sedgmen. Heat 5 though was not rerun after it had been stopped, and the abandonment was then eventually announced.

There were certainly some of the riders willing to continue but some were not. We wish Joe Thompson a speedy recovery.