Thrilling win for Stellar Monarchs in classic

The Stellar Monarchs made it home for their first win in the Championship this season in a really enthralling match. They took the lead in heat 3, were never behind but never more than 4 points ahead, and held their nerve in two titanic heats 13 and 15 against the mighty Masters-Nicholls duo to take the points with a 46-44 win.

Last heat hero was Josh Pickering with an incredible last to first burst, but full credit also to Justin Sedgmen who made the start in that finale and prevented Sam Masters and Scott Nicholls getting ahead for what might have been a match-winning 5-1.

Team manager Alex Harkess doesn't necessarily enjoy these close ones. "A bit too tight for my liking, though it was always going to be tight. I was certainly happy with the determination the team showed, throughout the side from 1 to 7. Paco Castagna kept his excellent form going, Kye Thomson and Lasse Fredriksen won heats when it mattered, and Sedgy certainly played a full part in that last race, an incredible ride by Josh.

There were numerous excellent races throughout the night. Oxford guest Jacob Hook won heat 2 from the back in the first of several tussles with Connor Coles, Scott Nicholls showed his quality has not diminished as he swept majestically around Sedgmen in heat 4, Pickering brilliantly slipped inside Nicholls to win heat 6 then Sedgmen and Heeps had a four lap battle with Sedgy making no mistakes to win heat 7 narrowly.

It was remarkable that Heeps didn't win any heats as he is clearly on good form and pressured the race leaders in all of his rides.

Anyway, a win for Kye Thomson in heat 12 meant that Monarchs arrived at heat 13 four ahead. Would it be enough with the Cheetahs' top two in two of the remaining heats?

Masters kept his unbeaten run going by racing away with heat 13 while the other three had an incredible tussle for the other places. Sedgmen clung on to second in spite of all Nicholls' crafty moves, several times appearing to be edging ahead. Pickering meanwhile was battling from the rear but could never find the space to squeeze past. An Oxford 4-2 means Monarchs now just two ahead.

Captain Castagna crucially won heat 14 from Heeps though Coles could not add the point in spite of a good start. So Monarchs led by two into the last heat.

Sedgmen crucially made the start with Pickering last away and still at the back as they hit bend three. He went between the Cheetahs and into second behind Nicholls entering lap two, and just as Masters pushed Sedgmen to the back, Picko pulled off an incredible wide overtake of Nicholls at the end of lap two.

He remembered also to move out a lap later to prevent Scott duplicating the move and as Justin came to a halt having done his bit, Josh roared home to the delight of the Monarchs' support.

Stellar Monarchs look to climb the league

Last Friday the Stellar Edinburgh Monarchs kick-started their season in style with a timely return to form against their oldest rivals, the Glasgow Tigers.

Without a point to their name after the opening three Championship fixtures, the focus turned to the BSN Series and that final qualifying tie in which any win at all would have secured them a place in the semi-finals.

A dramatic golden heat victory at Ashfield on the 10th of May, undoubtedly the result of the season up to that point, had placed the Monarchs in a real position of strength to dispose of Cami Brown's men although, being a derby, no one was under any illusion that the task at hand would be in any way straightforward. The Tigers were as capable as anyone at springing a result at Armadale, particularly in light of the Monarchs current run of form.

Glasgow, whose own introduction to the 2024 campaign might be described as less befitting their existing status of title-holders than one might have expected, came to West Lothian at full strength after Jack Smith's stay as deputy for the suspended Lee Complin had been made permanent.

For the Monarchs, No.1 Josh Pickering remained an injury absentee so, as he had at Oxford two days earlier, Workington's Craig Cook filled the gap at the top of the order.

The crumbling collapse towards the end of their defeat at Sandy Lane betrayed a vulnerability within the Edinburgh ranks which drove home the importance of getting off to a good start this Friday. And in truth, that start against the Tigers couldn't have been brighter thanks to storming 5-1s from Kye and Paco in Heats 3 and 5.

For Glasgow, there would be no way back from that. Even the deployment of Chris Harris as a tactical substitute in Heat 7 was quickly thwarted by a fine Justin Sedgmen effort as a lengthy succession of 3-3s maintained a heathy winning margin all the way to the finish.

Cookie and Sedgy's superb Heat 13 5-1 capped an excellent evening's work as we find ourselves a potential 60 heats from lifting silverware for the fist time since 2015.

Scunthorpe have been confirmed as our semi-final opponents (dates to be advised) Although certainly a tough task in prospect, defeating the Lincolnshire outfit is certainly not beyond us.

This Friday, however, it's back to the more sobering business of getting those first Championship points on the board. It's also a quick return to doing battle with the Oxford Cheetahs whose 18-point victory at Crowley nine days ago would suggest that gaining the aggregate bonus point on this occasion might be something of a tall order.

Who knows though? A repeat of the determination displayed our last time out and anything is possible.

Edinburgh will be boosted by the return of Josh Pickering and his presence will almost certainly be needed against the colossal Cheetahs' might of Sam Masters and Scotty Nicholls. Elsewhere, broken rib victim Max James will be replaced by the Academy's Max Perry while Oxford continue to be without Henry Atkins.

One Monarch who will be especially keen to continue his recent return to form is Paco Castagna whose GP Challenge qualification success, quickly followed by last Friday's magnificent 14 point ( from five rides) masterclass, only served to remind the world what a special talent we have at No.4.

Consistency will be key now though, not just for the skipper but the whole team as they enter a vital phase of the season."